Psychological vulnerability of unaccompanied refugee minors: a controlled cohort study using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

Abstract

In recent years, the prevalence of Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URMs) in Europe has increased and not much research has been carried out in the area of quantifying the psychological problems facing such minors. The aim of this study is to assess whether URMs have more emotional and behavioral difficulties than Italian children and if there were any significant differences in psychological problems comparing URMs who come from different countries. The URM group, composed of 98 males aged 11-17 years, was compared with 103 Italian adolescents aged 12-17 years. Psychological vulnerabilities were assessed using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. What we found with our research is that URMs would seem to be much more pro-social than Italian boys, although they would seem to have more problems with peers and in managing their emotions. This high pro-sociality could be useful for the purposes of support and prevention of possible future psychological problems. Furthermore, Italian children scored higher in behavioural problems subscale than URMs, suggesting a probable relationship between low prosociality and high behavioural problems.

Mental health among unaccompanied refugee minors after settling in Norway: A matched cross-sectional study

“…They were also, but to a lesser extent, more prone to report being bullied and to not have one or more good friends. Similar findings have been reported previously and have been interpreted as reflecting 'acculturation difficulties' or due to the URMs adopting a 'adultomorphic' behaviour by, for instance, working to help their family of origin economically [21]. High rates of experienced bullying among the URMs are also in accordance with a Swedish study [48].…”

“…The URMs scored significantly higher on three of five items on the prosocial subscale than the reference group. High scores on the prosocial subscale of the SDQ among immigrant and refugee populations have been reported previously [21,36], although some studies were unable to find differences when compared with native young people [49,50]. Exposure to adverse events such as violence, terror and war has undoubtedly been linked to a host of negative outcomes.…”

“…However, it has also been linked to post-traumatic growth and altruistic behaviour, also coined 'altruism born of suffering' [51]. For instance, high scores on the item 'often offer to help others' could reflect that URMs are motivated to help others due to the adverse experiences in their own lives [21]. On the subscale level, a notable ceiling effect was observed whereby most respondents scored at the higher end of the scale (median value nine of a total of 10).…”

“…Externalizing mental health problems appear less consistently elevated in URMs [6,14,21]. Using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in a study from Italy, URMs reported significantly lower levels of conduct problems and more prosocial behaviours, but had more peer problems than native Italian young people.…”

Mirrored Social Representations of Canadian Caseworkers with Migratory Paths Intervening with Refugees in the Host Country

“…Reflecting the diversity and multiculturalism of the host society, refugee vulnerability continues to be a hegemonic representation [27] that persists over time and is deeply embedded in the collective imagination [73]. However, vulnerability is also a subjective experience that is expressed in the body's history and results in emotional trauma [74,75]. Caseworkers with similar personal trajectories to the recipients of their service therefore often face a dilemma between showing compassion and fostering integration.…”