Adapting and Implementing Evidence-Based Interventions for Trauma-Exposed Refugee Youth and Families

Isakson, Brian; Legerski, John-Paul; Layne, Christopher

doi:10.1007/s10879-015-9304-5

Cited by 21 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Such strategies can help ensure former refugees are afforded the time required to adapt to cultural differences and to process experiences of trauma, while receiving care in their parent language. Gaining cultural competence will enable health professionals to understand how former refugees may interpret health, especially mental health, and the additional "extra-therapeutic" factors that have been identified as influencing their well-being [57]. Furthermore, investigation into current levels of cultural competence and trauma-informed practices within rural and regional health services would be welcome.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Shaping the Lived Experience of Resettlement for Former Refugees in Regional Australia

Smith

Hoang

Reynish

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Refugees experience traumatic life events with impacts amplified in regional and rural areas due to barriers accessing services. This study examined the factors influencing the lived experience of resettlement for former refugees in regional Launceston, Australia, including environmental, social, and health-related factors. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted with adult and youth community members from Burma, Bhutan, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Iran, and Sudan, and essential service providers (n = 31). Thematic analysis revealed four factors as primarily influencing resettlement: English language proficiency; employment, education and housing environments and opportunities; health status and service access; and broader social factors and experiences. Participants suggested strategies to overcome barriers associated with these factors and improve overall quality of life throughout resettlement. These included flexible English language program delivery and employment support, including industry-specific language courses; the provision of interpreters; community events fostering cultural sharing, inclusivity and promoting well-being; and routine inclusion of nondiscriminatory, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed practices throughout a former refugee's environment, including within education, employment, housing and service settings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Shaping the Lived Experience of Resettlement for Former Refugees in Regional Australia

Smith

Hoang

Reynish

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…Like research in other countries, immigrant youth in this study report pervasive histories of trauma indicative of a high-risk population in need of specialized mental health services that appropriately address the complex histories as well as their current needs [20]. Developing interventions for immigrant youth that balance treatment of past trauma with current resettlement and acculturative stressors (e.g., housing, employment, health care) within the context of a new language and culture is a challenge [16].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Findings support the importance of a comprehensive clinical assessment and treatment for youth that have experienced a broad range of traumas during the migration process. In addition, to mitigate poor mental health outcomes, assessment-driven, flexibly tailored, multilevel interventions that cover the range of traumas experienced by this subpopulation must be implemented in creative and engaging ways [10, 20]. Empirical evidence from these subpopulations is still limited, thus further research is needed to develop and evaluate strategies for assessing and treating mental health issues that appropriately respond to the diversity of immigrants to the US.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immigrant Trauma and Mental Health Outcomes Among Latino Youth

Cleary

Snead

Dietz-Chavez

et al. 2017

J Immigrant Minority Health

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While research has demonstrated an association between trauma and mental health, this study examined the association between trauma experienced premigration, during migration, and postmigration, and current mental health status among Latino youth aged 12-17 years old living in the US for < 3 years. Participants reported traumatic events experienced in their home country, during migration, and after settling in the US. Regression models examined trauma experienced at each stage of the migration process predicting current levels of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Two-thirds of youth experienced at least one traumatic event, 44% experienced an event once, and 23% experienced two or more traumatic events during migration. Trauma experienced at different migration stages was associated with distinctive mental health outcomes. It is essential that access to culturally sensitive assessment and treatment services be available to ensure transition to a healthy adulthood.

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“…Consistent with prior research (Ehntholt & Yule, ; Fazel et al., ), refugees reported more total types of trauma exposure than both contrast groups. Although refugees and immigrants share many service needs associated with acculturation and resettlement, refugees’ more pervasive histories of trauma and loss may indicate a particularly at‐risk population that may benefit from specialized mental health services and public policies that address their complex histories, needs, and circumstances (Isakson, Legerski, & Layne, ). The findings indicate the importance of a comprehensive clinical assessment for refugee youth, who may have experienced a broad range of traumas, and seek treatment for reasons beyond forced displacement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The challenges refugee families face in balancing past trauma with present‐day resettlement and acculturative stressors (e.g., housing, employment, health care) within the context of the new language, norms, and laws of a new culture (Fazel et al., ) call for assessment‐driven, flexibly tailored, multilevel interventions that are implemented in creative and engaging ways (Davies & Webb, ; Isakson et al., ). For example, school‐based interventions for refugees show promise for building social support, assisting with acculturative and resettlement stressors, and identifying and engaging students with serious needs (Ehntholt, Smith, & Yule, ; Ellis et al., ; Fazel et al., ; Kia‐Keating & Ellis, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing Trauma Exposure, Mental Health Needs, and Service Utilization Across Clinical Samples of Refugee, Immigrant, and U.S.‐Origin Children

Betancourt

Newnham

Birman

et al. 2017

Journal of Traumatic Stress

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129

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Most mental health services for trauma-exposed children and adolescents were not originally developed for refugees. Information is needed to help clinicians design services to address the consequences of trauma in refugee populations. We compared trauma exposure, psychological distress, and mental health service utilization among children and adolescents of refugee-origin, immigrant-origin, and U.S.-origin referred for assessment and treatment by U.S. providers in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). We used propensity score matching to compare trauma profiles, mental health needs, and service use across three groups. Our sample comprised refugee-origin youth (n = 60, 48.3% female, mean age = 13.07 years) and propensity-matched samples of immigrant-origin youth (n = 143, 60.8% female, mean age = 13.26 years), and U.S.-origin youth (n = 140, 56.1% female, mean age = 12.11 years). On average, there were significantly more types of trauma exposure among refugee youth than either U.S.-origin youth (p < .001) or immigrant youth (p < .001). Compared with U.S.-origin youth, refugee youth had higher rates of community violence exposure, dissociative symptoms, traumatic grief, somatization, and phobic disorder; In contrast, the refugee group had comparably lower rates of substance abuse and oppositional defiant disorder (ps ranging from .030 to < .001).This clinic-referred sample of refugee-origin youth presented with distinct patterns of trauma exposure, distress symptoms, and service needs that merit consideration in services planning.

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Adapting and Implementing Evidence-Based Interventions for Trauma-Exposed Refugee Youth and Families

Cited by 21 publications

References 43 publications

Factors Shaping the Lived Experience of Resettlement for Former Refugees in Regional Australia

Factors Shaping the Lived Experience of Resettlement for Former Refugees in Regional Australia

Immigrant Trauma and Mental Health Outcomes Among Latino Youth

Comparing Trauma Exposure, Mental Health Needs, and Service Utilization Across Clinical Samples of Refugee, Immigrant, and U.S.‐Origin Children

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