FIRST STEPS: Psychoanalytically based prevention projects for migrant and refugee families in Belgium and Germany

Lebiger‐Vogel, Judith; Rickmeyer, Constanze; Fritzemeyer, Korinna; Hettich, Nora; Leuzinger‐Bohleber, Marianne; Meurs, Patrick

doi:10.1002/aps.1631

Cited by 6 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Almost all of the papers were published in English, only two were published in French [22,69] and just over 40% (n = 28) were published within the last 5 years (2015-2019). Three papers were discussion papers [57,76,99], while the remaining were studies, mostly qualitative research (n = 57); five of these were dissertations [52,80,82,95,105]. Sixteen papers were discussions or studies conducted in the United States, while 13 papers were focused in Australia, followed by 11 in Canada.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sixteen papers (23% of the literature) focused on care, an intervention or a program during early-childhood (see Tables 3 and 4). These included: studies that examined migrant mothers' general experiences of accessing primary healthcare [52,62,79] or early-childhood programs [105] for their children; one study that explored nurses' experiences in providing primary healthcare to refugee families with a child aged 0 to 6 years [108]; papers that reported on parents and care-providers' perspectives of peer support group interventions meant to enhance parenting skills, promote child development and reduce isolation among immigrant mothers [22] and refugee mothers/parents [80,[101][102][103]; and literature that described and/or evaluated specialized earlyeducation programs for migrant and refugee families, or that investigated the experiences of educators in providing these services [60,73,76,90,98,99].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transnationalism and care of migrant families during pregnancy, postpartum and early-childhood: an integrative review

Merry

Villadsen

Sicard

et al. 2020

BMC Health Serv Res

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Background: Migrant families' transnational ties (i.e., connections to their countries of origin) may contribute to their hardships and/or may be a source of resiliency. A care approach that addresses these transnational ties may foster a positive identity and give coherence to experiences. We conducted an integrative review to determine what is known about transnational ties and the care of migrant families during pregnancy, postpartum and early childhood. Methods: We searched 15 databases to identify literature reporting on a health or social program, service, or care experience of migrant families during pregnancy up to age five in a Western country (i.e., Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand or a European country). Information regarding if and how the service/program/care considered transnational ties, and care-providers' perceptions of transnational ties, was extracted, analyzed and synthesized according to transnational 'ways of belonging' and 'ways of being'. Results: Over 34,000 records were screened; 69 articles were included. Care, programs and services examined included prenatal interventions (a mhealth app, courses, videos, and specialized antenatal care), doula support, maternity care, support groups, primary healthcare and psycho-social early intervention and early childhood programs. The results show that transnational ties in terms of 'ways of belonging' (cultural, religious and linguistic identity) are acknowledged and addressed in care, although important gaps remain. Regarding 'ways of being', including emotional, social, and economic ties with children and other family members, receipt of advice and support from family, and use of health services abroad, there is very little evidence that these are acknowledged and addressed by care-providers. Perceptions of 'ways of belonging' appear to be mixed, with some care-providers being open to and willing to adapt care to accommodate religious, cultural and linguistic differences, while others are not. How care-providers perceive the social, emotional and economic ties and/or the use of services back home, remains relatively unknown. Conclusion: Significant knowledge gaps remain regarding care-providers' perceptions of transnational 'ways of being' and whether and how they take them into account, which may affect their relationships with migrant families and/or the effectiveness of their interventions. Continued efforts are needed to ensure care is culturally safe for migrants.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transnationalism and care of migrant families during pregnancy, postpartum and early-childhood: an integrative review

Merry

Villadsen

Sicard

et al. 2020

BMC Health Serv Res

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“…It was developed from the psychoanalytically oriented FIRST STEPS program for migrant families in Frankfurt (Germany; cf. Burkhardt‐Mußmann, 2016; Lebiger‐Vogel et al., 2020; Leuzinger‐Bohleber & Lebiger‐Vogel, 2016), which has also been implemented in Berlin since 2012 (for an overview of projects for migrants and refugees at the Kindergesundheitshaus, see Table 1). 2…”

Section: Supporting Refugee Parents With Young Children—the Project “Strong Together!”1mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Results of the empirical evaluation of the FIRST STEPS project show that psychoanalytically oriented prevention offered to migrants can also reach traumatized and severely burdened families and support the healthy development of their young children (Fritzemeyer et al., 2019; Lebiger‐Vogel et al., 2020). This appears to be of particular importance as we know that mothers who have experienced war and persecution are at greater risk of showing less sensitivity in the interactions with their infant than migrant mothers who have not experienced war and persecution (Fritzemeyer et al., 2019; see also van Ee et al., 2012, 2016, 2017).…”

Section: Supporting Refugee Parents With Young Children—the Project “Strong Together!”1mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ghosts in the nursery in exile—Supporting parenting in exile during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Schestag

Mehner‐Gentner

Stein

et al. 2021

Appl Psychoanal Studies

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The early prevention project “Strong together!” supports refugee parents and their young children (0–4 years) in Berlin, Germany. It aims to mitigate the transmission of trauma to the generation born in exile. For refugee families who have only recently arrived in Germany, the COVID‐19 pandemic poses a particularly great challenge. Not only are they confronted with numerous challenges in respect to re‐building their lives in Germany after fleeing war and persecution, but are also vulnerable to conscious and unconscious anxieties, fantasies, and conflicts evoked by the pandemic and the threat it poses to their lives. This was observed in the context of the mother–child groups of “Strong together!”. Many expressed great insecurity, heightened levels of anxiety, re‐experiencing of traumatic scenes, and over‐strictly self‐isolating themselves and their children, even attraction to fundamentalist ideologies. In this paper, some of the empirical and clinical findings of “Strong together!” are summarized and reflected on within a framework of psychoanalytic trauma theory.

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Promoting mental health and preventing mental health problems in child and adolescent refugees and asylum seekers: A systematic review on psychosocial interventions

Della Rocca,

Bello,

Carbone

et al. 2023

Int J Soc Psychiatry

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Background: According to the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), children and adolescents represent 41% of all forcibly displaced individuals. They have to deal with conflicts, violence, and the many difficulties of flight and resettlement during a critical stage of their emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development. They are more likely to experience mental health problems during migration. Despite the several known risk factors, it is frequently challenging for refugees and asylum seekers to get mental health care. In this paper we review available studies on interventions aimed at promoting mental health and at preventing common mental disorders in immigrant adolescents and children. Methods: The relevant PubMed, Scopus, PsychINFO and Web of Science databases were searched for papers published until March 21, 2023, using (“immigrants” OR “migration” OR “asylum seekers” OR “refugees”) AND (“promotion” OR “prevention”) AND (“mental health” OR “mental disorders” OR “psych*”) AND (“children” OR “adolescents” OR “young adults”) as search string. Fourteen articles qualified for the detailed review. Results and Conclusions: The majority of available interventions, although highly heterogeneous in format and content, showed significant improvement in several psychopathological dimensions, including trauma-related symptoms, psychological stress, anxiety, depressive and cognitive symptoms. Available studies on interventions for the prevention of mental disorders and the promotion of mental health in refugees and asylum seekers children and adolescents indicate that provided interventions were associated with a global improvement for participants. Implementation strategies to improve their scalability are highly needed.

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FIRST STEPS: Psychoanalytically based prevention projects for migrant and refugee families in Belgium and Germany

Cited by 6 publications

References 22 publications

Transnationalism and care of migrant families during pregnancy, postpartum and early-childhood: an integrative review

Transnationalism and care of migrant families during pregnancy, postpartum and early-childhood: an integrative review

Ghosts in the nursery in exile—Supporting parenting in exile during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Promoting mental health and preventing mental health problems in child and adolescent refugees and asylum seekers: A systematic review on psychosocial interventions

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