Interventions Supporting the Social Integration of Refugee Children and Youth in School Communities: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Schools function as a primary driver of integration and as a link to resources and assets that promote healthy development. Nevertheless, most research studies on school-based programs are conducted on mainstream students, and school professionals looking to deliver interventions serving refugee students are forced to choose between evidence-based programs designed for the mainstream and developing new programs in the cultural framework of their students. The purpose of this literature review is to provide a summary of recent research on successful, evidence-based programs as well as promising interventions and practice recommendations in five core practice areas in schools: school leadership and culture, teaching, mental health, after-school programming, and school-parent-community partnerships. These findings are presented drawing from theoretical frameworks of ecological systems, social capital, segmented assimilation, resilience, and trauma, and describe how such theories may be used to inform programs serving refugee children and youth. Additionally, this review describes the core components of successful programs across these practice areas to inform researchers and practitioners as they select and develop programs in their own school communities. Finally, this review concludes with a discussion of human rights in the education of refugee children and youth.

The Experiences of Minors Seeking Asylum in the United States: A Modified Consensual Qualitative Research Analysis

“…Of note, despite exhibiting significant psychological sequelae, only a few ( n = 3, 8.3%) minors reported receiving psychological treatment from a therapist or psychologist. Although access to mental health services is multifactorial and can reflect varying socioeconomic, cultural, and personal factors, this finding is consistent with prior studies that have demonstrated poor access and utilization of mental health services among refugee youth outside of educational settings (Pfeiffer et al., 2019; Reynolds & Bacon, 2018). However, schools are in a unique position to provide culturally responsive, psychosocial interventions in a space that is safe and familiar to children, and cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be feasible and effective in such a setting (Franco, 2018).…”

“…Given that almost three‐quarters of the minors reported school enrollment, school‐based interventions that provide trauma‐sensitive training to teachers, guidance counselors, and social workers to aid in identifying survivors and provide further counseling could effectively address psychological distress in this at‐risk population (Fazel & Betancourt, 2018). School‐based therapy programs that celebrate and honor students’ identities and cultures and focus on the arts, play, and other nonstigmatizing interventions are seen as successful models that result in positive outcomes (Reynolds & Bacon, 2018).…”

Digital Media Production of Refugee-Background Youth: A Scoping Review

“…Refugee-background youth may face particularly grave educational challengesas compared to youth from other migrant backgrounds-due to the forced nature of their migration and the likelihood of difficult experiences. These difficult experiences may include war, continuous lack of nutrition or adult care, separation from or loss of family members, trauma, interrupted schooling, limited literacy, and difficult transitions, as well as acculturation challenges (e.g., McBrien 2005;Reynolds and Bacon 2018). Refugeebackground youth may also have a high dropout rate from schools, as studies in Canada have shown (e.g., Gunderson 2007).…”

Evaluation of a school-based intervention to promote mental health of refugee youth in Sweden (The RefugeesWellSchool Trial): study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

“…Interventions have been developed to support mental health, recovery and resilience in refugee populations and schools have been identified as an ideal setting to implement such interventions [13][14][15]. Functionally, school-based interventions provide a unique opportunity to easily reach youth who may otherwise be isolated or unable to access services [14,[16][17][18][19].…”