For adolescents who flee to the UK seeking asylum, the experience of leaving their home country puts them at risk of developing mental health problems. Although there is a research base exploring the mental health of asylum-seeking children and adolescents who arrive with their families, there is in contrast very little focusing on the mental health needs of children and adolescents who arrive in the UK alone. There has been ongoing debate about whether current theoretical models for understanding reactions to trauma and loss are helpful in supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and adolescents with complex psychological and social issues as a result of fleeing their home countries. This article draws on young people's own understanding of their experiences of seeking asylum in the UK using a qualitative semi-structured interview. It attempts to develop a more contextually relevant understanding of their emotional reactions to adversity and to consider the sorts of support required. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to provide an in-depth understanding of six young asylum seekers' experiences, exploring themes of loss, negotiating a new life, psychological distress and the process of adjustment. Psychological interventions and future service provision for this group are discussed.
Petersen, 2014), such as the therapeutic relationship (Shirk & Karver, 2003), may be linked to treatment outcome. For older adolescents, service engagement could be a challenge (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2012). Alongside experiencing mental distress, they may also be faced with societal (e.g., stigma; Eisenberg, Downs, Golberstein, & Zivin, 2009), familial (YoungMinds, 2006), and developmental (Erikson, 1968) pressures. In addition, 16 to 18 years is a potential time of transition between CAMHS and adult mental health services (AMHS), which may impose its own challenges (
This study addressed psychological needs, patterns of service utilization and provision of care in a specialist mental health service for young refugees and asylum seekers in London. Comparisons were made between two groups with different levels of postulated mental health need: unaccompanied minors (UAMs; n = 49) and children accompanied to the UK by one or more primary caregivers (n = 29). Significant differences were observed in referral pathways, with UAMs more likely to be referred by social services and less likely to be referred from medical agencies. UAMs also attended fewer sessions during treatment, and missed a greater proportion of scheduled appointments. Contrary to prediction, group comparisons revealed similar levels of post-migration stress and overall psychological morbidity. However, UAMs experienced significantly more traumatic events prior to resettlement, and were more likely to exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than their accompanied peers. Despite their elevated risk of PTSD, UAMs were less likely than accompanied children to have received trauma-focused interventions. UAMs were also significantly less likely to have been treated using cognitive therapy, anxiety management and parent/carer training, as well as receiving fewer types of practical assistance with basic social needs. The clinical and service implications of these findings are discussed.
The paper presents the Lewisham Community Child and Family Service (LCCFS), a communitybased intervention providing psychosocial help for children, young people, parents and families. The service is focused on early intervention, prevention and promotion in the improvement of local health. It works under a service framework based on inter-agency collaboration, and a counselling model based on community and interpersonal partnerships, grounded in personal construct theory (Kelly, 1955). The policy demands and local need for accessible and acceptable mental health are discussed, and quantitative and qualitative ®ndings of the needs assessment preceding the establishment of the LCCFS are presented, supporting the need for community mental health provision. The feasibility for the LCCFS to reconcile and meet the policy demands and the needs of parents with respect to child psychosocial help and services are discussed.
Daniel (2019) School-based early intervention for anxiety and depression in older adolescents: a feasibility randomised controlled trial of a self-referral stress management workshop programme ("DISCOVER").
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