Unaccompanied Minors: Breaking Down Barriers to Health

Schapiro, Naomi A.; Gutierrez, Juan Raul; Gonzalez, Jasmine Leonella; Dai, Jessica; Gutierrez, Ivette

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.10.056

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…While the aforementioned research may inform future practice, the reality is that schools, clinics, families, and youth need answers today. One potential strategy to expand mental health services for unaccompanied youth involves school-based health centers (SBHCs), a model of service delivery that co-locates health and social services within schools, to implement innovative, multidisciplinary, and cross-sector solutions to improve the delivery of services for unaccompanied youth (Schapiro et al 2016). Unfortunately, the limited number of SBHCs nationwide (approximately 2,300) and their reliance on payment structures that exclude participation of undocumented people, may constrain their benefit for these youth (Acosta Price 2016).…”

Section: Directions For Future Research With Unaccompanied Migrant Youthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integration of unaccompanied migrant youth in the United States: a call for research

Cardoso

Brabeck

Stinchcomb

et al. 2017

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

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Between October 2013 and July 2016, over 156,000 children traveling without their guardians were apprehended at the US-Mexico border and transferred to the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). During that same period, ORR placed over 123,000 unaccompanied migrant youth—predominantly from Central America—with a parent or other adult sponsor residing in the US. Following placement, local communities are tasked with integrating migrant youth, many of whom experience pre- and in-transit migration traumas, family separation, limited/interrupted schooling, and unauthorised legal status, placing them at heightened risk for psychological distress, academic disengagement, maltreatment, and human trafficking. Nonetheless, fewer than 10% of young people receive formal post-release services. This paper addresses the paucity of research on the experiences of the 90% of children and youth without access to post-release services. To bridge this gap, this article: (a) describes the post-release experiences of unaccompanied youth, focusing on legal, family, health, and educational contexts; (b) identifies methodological and ethical challenges and solutions in conducting research with this population of young people and their families; and (c) proposes research to identify structural challenges to the provision of services and to inform best practices in support of unaccompanied youth.

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Section: Directions For Future Research With Unaccompanied Migrant Youthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integration of unaccompanied migrant youth in the United States: a call for research

Cardoso

Brabeck

Stinchcomb

et al. 2017

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The majority of children come under the care and supervision of other systems, such as social services, child welfare, or juvenile justice [12], but follow-up support services are often limited [13]. Some examples of coordinated local efforts, such as that of the Oakland Unified School District, may result in improved service delivery for these children at the local level [14]. However, the absence of linked data systems at the federal level makes it difficult to know the extent to which children interact with other systems and to track outcomes for these children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unaccompanied Children Migrating from Central America: Public Health Implications for Violence Prevention and Intervention

2017

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Purpose of Review Unaccompanied children (UC) migrating to the USA from the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are an underserved population at high risk for health, academic, and social problems. These children experience trauma, violence, and other risk factors that are shared among several types of interpersonal violence. Recent Findings The trauma and violence experienced by many unaccompanied children, and the subsequent implications for their healthy development into adulthood, indicate the critical need for a public health approach to prevention and intervention. Summary This paper provides an overview of the violence experienced by unaccompanied children along their migration journey, the implications of violence and trauma for the health and well-being of the children across their lifespan, prevention and intervention approaches for UC resettled in the USA, and suggestions for adapted interventions to best address the unique needs of this vulnerable population.

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Systematic review of former unaccompanied immigrant minors’ access to healthcare services in the United States

Misra

Holdstock

Baez

et al. 2021

J Public Health (Berl.)

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Aim Former unaccompanied immigrant minors (UMs) now living in the USA are a uniquely vulnerable population. The US Office of Refugee Resettlement shelters provide health services, but most are discontinued once UMs leave the shelters. A systematic review was therefore designed to quantify access to medical, mental, and dental healthcare services by former UMs living in the USA. Subject and methods The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO. A search was made in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Academic Search Complete in June 2020. Full-text review, data extraction, and data analysis were completed by all authors. Results Searches returned a total of 2646 studies, of which 15 met all eligibility criteria. There was an overlap in the services investigated in the studies — 13 assessed mental health, ten assessed medical, and four included dental care. Sample sizes ranged from one to 4809, and there was a wide range of study designs. Some studies included multiple locations. Nine studies demonstrated success in community-based clinics or programs; one in a hospital, four in schools, three in group living settings, and one in U.S. Customs Border Patrol (CBP) custody. Three studies explored access to services post-release from shelters. Conclusions Healthcare programs at shelters, schools, and in the community have provided some screening and diagnosis of medical, mental health, and dental conditions for UMs, but multiple financial and cultural barriers make ongoing treatment difficult to access. Long-term studies following UMs in shelters and post-release through adulthood are needed to help create new, or modify existing, programs, to adequately support UMs now living in the USA.

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Unaccompanied Minors: Breaking Down Barriers to Health

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Integration of unaccompanied migrant youth in the United States: a call for research

Integration of unaccompanied migrant youth in the United States: a call for research

Unaccompanied Children Migrating from Central America: Public Health Implications for Violence Prevention and Intervention

Systematic review of former unaccompanied immigrant minors’ access to healthcare services in the United States

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