The findings underscore the importance of current life conditions for unaccompanied refugees' mental health.

The present study was designed to understand differences between unaccompanied refugees who retained or achieved good mental health ( healthy or resilient) and those who maintained or developed poor mental health ( clinical and vulnerable). Using person-based analyses, the role of pre-migration traumatic exposure and acculturation-related factors in long-term trajectories of psychological adjustment among unaccompanied refugees was explored. This study included three waves of data collection in a population-based sample. The participants were 918 unaccompanied refugees who had received asylum and residence status in Norway. The pattern of change in depression symptoms over time was used to characterize subgroups displaying resilient, vulnerable, clinical or healthy trajectories. Results indicated that the extent of post-migration acculturation hassles and heritage culture competence, as well as pre-migration traumatic events and gender, distinguished the refugee groups in terms of mental health trajectories. The implications for clinical practice and immigration policy are discussed.

The aim of the present longitudinal study is to understand the longitudinal relation between depressive symptoms and daily hassles (i.e., general and acculturation hassles) in a high-risk population of unaccompanied refugees. We investigated the validity of three stress-mental health models: the stress exposure model, the stress generation model, and the reciprocal model. Data were collected from 918 unaccompanied refugees in Norway in three waves. Of the initial sample, the majority (82.1%) were male (M = 19.01 years, SD = 2.54 years). The data were analyzed with auto-regressive cross-lagged modeling and latent growth curve modeling. The results supported the stress exposure model for the relation between depressive symptoms and acculturation hassles, indicating that acculturation hassles predicted the subsequent levels of depressive symptoms rather than vice versa. On the other hand, the reciprocal model was supported for the relation between depressive symptoms and general hassles indicating a bidirectional, mutual relation. Unconditional latent growth models further showed that depression level remained unchanged over time, while levels of acculturation and general hassles decreased. The implications for clinical practice and immigration policy are discussed.

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that children who display behavioral problems also tend to display low social competence. The relation does however vary according to type of behavior being measured, as well as demographic characteristics of the respondent. The present meta-analysis examined the correlation between different types of behavioral problems and social competence among children aged 3–13, and investigated possible moderators in this relation.MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted for English language studies from January 2008 to January 2018 that reported correlations between three types of behavioral problems (i.e., externalizing behaviors, conduct problems, or aggression) and two types of social competence (i.e., social competence or social skills). The studies included reports from parents and teachers, or both as a dyad. The review included data from 54 independent studies and a total of 46,828 participants. Effect sizes were estimated using a random effects approach and moderator analyses between subsets of categorical variables were tested by the significant Q test.ResultsResults showed an overall correlation between behavioral problems and social competence of medium effect size (r = −.42, p < .01). Moderation analyses indicated no significant differences for different types of behavioral problems or social competence. However, a significant difference was found with regard to type of respondent; the correlation was significantly higher when both measures were reported by the same respondent (teacher or parent) compared to when measures were reported by parent-teacher as a dyad.ConclusionsFindings summarized and quantified a robust negative correlation between behavioral problems and social competence. The results indicate that intervention programs targeting problem behaviors in children would benefit from reducing behavioral problems and in concert, increase social competence to help children with emerging or present problem behaviors.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to systematically examine the short-and long-term effects of group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for adolescent depression and to examine the role of various moderators of the reported effect sizes. A comprehensive literature search of relevant randomized-controlled trials identified 23 studies containing 49 post-intervention and 56 followup comparisons. Standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated both for post-intervention and follow-up. A three-level random effects approach was used to model the dependent effect sizes. Group CBT was more efficacious than control conditions both at post-intervention (SMD = −0.28, 95% CI [-0.36, −0.19]) and at follow-up (SMD = −0.21, 95% CI [-0.30, −0.11]). Having an inactive control group was associated with a larger post-intervention effect size, while having a longer follow-up duration was associated with a smaller follow-up effect size. Even though the effect sizes are low, research suggests that group CBT is a significant treatment for adolescent depression.According to the World Health Organization, depression is one of the most common disabling conditions and the 3rd leading cause of disease burden world-wide (Fletcher, 2008;Mathers, Fat, & Boerma, 2008) with a peak age for first onset ranging from 15 to 21 years (Hankin et al., 1998). Some of the most effective interventions in treating depression among adolescents are based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) (David-Ferdon & Kaslow, 2008), in which the main target is to modify and change maladaptive cognitions and behaviors that constitute the core processes of depression (Weersing, Rozenman, & Gonzalez, 2009). Furthermore, the high prevalence of depression also requires the consideration of cost-effectiveness related to possible interventions. In this respect, group-based CBT could be promising because studies have suggested that it is effective as a treatment for major depression or dysthymia in adolescents (