The mental health and psychological well-being of refugee children and young people: an exploration of risk, resilience and protective factors

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaheen Mohamed ◽  
Miles Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Refugee Children ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Children And Young People

scholarly journals Analysis and critique of ‘Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: A green paper’: Some implications for refugee children and young people

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-350
Author(s):  
Pat Cox ◽  
Jane March McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Refugee Children ◽  
Green Paper ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Health And Well Being

Adopting a children’s rights perspective, a critique and analysis underpinned by documentary research methodology was undertaken in order to assess the extent to which the government’s Green Paper (Department of Health and Social Care and Department of Education, 2017. Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a green paper. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision-a-green-paper (accessed 7 December 2017)) addresses the mental health and well-being needs of refugee children and young people in England and Wales, identifying strengths, limitations and challenges for future policy and practice. Findings suggest that there is much of potential benefit to refugee children and young people’s future mental health and well-being. However, a paradigm shift, explicit in implications, scale and time frame, will be required, if the Green Paper is to achieve those changes in attitudes, practice and service delivery which it anticipates. We argue that this Green Paper’s overarching challenge is that it is premised on Western-centric models in its understanding of the experiences of refugee children and young people, and management of trauma and mental health. It fails to recognize the meanings and significance of culture, and of diversity and difference, and the need to invest in all communities in facilitating engagement and support for children and young people’s mental health issues.

scholarly journals Mental health and wellbeing implications of the COVID-19 quarantine for disabled and disadvantaged children and young people: evidence from a cross-cultural study in Zambia and Sierra Leone

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Sharpe ◽  
Mohsen Rajabi ◽  
Clement Chileshe ◽  
Sitali Mayamba Joseph ◽  
Ibrahim Sesay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Planning Tool ◽  
Income Loss ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Children And Young People

Abstract Background The mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantining on children and young people (CYP) living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has yet to be fully comprehended. CYP in LMICs are at utmost risk, given the COVID-19-related restrictions and social distancing measures, resulting in reduced access to school-based services for nutritional and mental health needs. This study examined mental health of CYP during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Zambia and Sierra Leone. Method A total of 468 disabled and disadvantaged CYP aged 12 to 25 completed a planning tool that comprised the short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS), as well as open-ended questions covering social connectedness, physical distancing and educational challenges during the lockdown. The community coaches screened individuals and families who could be eligible to receive emergency aid, and based on a convenience sample following distribution of aid, recipients were invited to complete the planning tool. Results The data showed that participants in the global south have increasing anxieties and fears centred on accessing offline educational resources and income loss in the family effecting food security and their ability to return to education. Mean (SD) SWEMWBS scores for all participants in Zambia and Sierra Leone, were 19.61 (3.45) and 21.65 (2.84), respectively. Mental well-being scores were lower in females, children aged 12–14 and participants with two or more disabilities. Factors significantly associated with poor mental wellbeing in the sample were: type of disability, nationality, peer relationships, connection to others during the pandemic, knowledge about COVID-19, worry about the long-term impact of COVID-19, and the types of self-isolating. Conclusion The study shows that participants who self-reported low levels of COVID-19 health literacy also scored low on the mental wellbeing self-assessment. Yet, despite undoubted limited resources, these CYP are doing well in identifying their needs and maintaining hope in the face of the problems associated with COVID-19 in countries where stigma persists around mental ill-health.

scholarly journals Mental health and well-being trends among children and young people in the UK, 1995–2014: analysis of repeated cross-sectional national health surveys

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (08) ◽  
pp. 1275-1285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Pitchforth ◽  
Katie Fahy ◽  
Tamsin Ford ◽  
Miranda Wolpert ◽  
Russell M. Viner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
General Health ◽  
Health Surveys ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
The Uk ◽  
National Health Surveys

AbstractBackgroundThere is a growing concern about the mental health of children and young people (CYP) in the UK, with increasing demand for counselling services, admissions for self-harm and referrals to mental health services. We investigated whether there have been similar recent trends in selected mental health outcomes among CYP in national health surveys from England, Scotland and Wales.MethodsData were analysed from 140 830 participants (4–24 years, stratified into 4–12, 13–15, 16–24 years) in 36 national surveys in England, Scotland and Wales, 1995–2014. Regression models were used to examine time trends in seven parent/self-reported variables: general health, any long-standing health condition, long-standing mental health condition; Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Score (WEMWBS), above-threshold Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Total (SDQT) score, SDQ Emotion (SDQE) score, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) score.ResultsAcross all participants aged 4–24, long-standing mental health conditions increased in England (0.8–4.8% over 19 years), Scotland (2.3–6.0%, 11 years) and Wales (2.6–4.1%, 7 years) (all p < 0.001). Among young children (4–12 years), the proportion reporting high SDQT and SDQE scores decreased significantly among both boys and girls in England [SDQE: odds ratio (OR) 0.97 (0.96–0.98), p < 0.001] and girls in Scotland [SDQE: OR 0.96 (0.93–0.99), p = 0.005]. The proportion with high SDQE scores (13–15 years) decreased in England [OR 0.98 (0.96–0.99), p = 0.006] but increased in Wales [OR 1.07 (1.03–1.10), p < 0.001]. The proportion with high GHQ scores decreased among English women (16–24 years) [OR 0.98 (0.98–0.99), p = 0.002].ConclusionsDespite a striking increase in the reported prevalence of long-standing mental health conditions among UK CYP, there was relatively little change in questionnaire scores reflecting psychological distress and emotional well-being.

scholarly journals Bounce Forward: A School-Based Prevention Programme for Building Resilience in a Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Buket Kara ◽  
Rochelle Morris ◽  
Alice Brown ◽  
Pauline Wigglesworth ◽  
Joshua Kania ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Prevention Programme ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged ◽  
School Based ◽  
Building Resilience

Socioeconomic status is a strong predictor of normative development and well-being in young people. It is well-known that growing up in a socioeconomically disadvantaged context may lead to negative outcomes, both in childhood and in adulthood. Early intervention and prevention programmes are crucial for building resilience and improving health, well-being and equity. Bounce Forward is a school-based prevention programme implemented in Blackpool, a town in the United Kingdom facing multiple challenges. It was part of a whole town resilience approach and nascent global social movement known as the “Resilience Revolution.” Between 2017 and 2019, the programme was delivered in all Year 5 classes at every primary school in Blackpool (nschool = 36), reaching out to 3,134 students (ages 9–10; 50.4% male). The programme aimed to increase resilience in young people by building knowledge and skills about mental health and resilience through 10 sessions. In the current study, we longitudinally examined a range of protective factors, which are relevant to young people's resilience, as well as their mental health outcomes at three time points: before they participated in Bounce Forward, at the end of the programme, and 3–5 months later, when they started Year 6. The current sample included 441 Year 5 students (54.2% male) from 11 primary schools in Blackpool. Nineteen teaching staff also participated in the study and provided qualitative data regarding the impact of the programme on their students. Results showed improvement in some areas of young people's resilience after taking part in Bounce Forward. We also identified gender differences in several protective factors, indicating that boys may need further support. Teaching staff highlighted improvements in various areas; and also observed that their students have been using the strategies that they learnt from the programme. Altogether, findings suggested that young people benefitted from Bounce Forward. The programme is sustainable, offering a free to download teacher resource pack that allows schools to self-deliver it.

Transforming identities

2021 ◽  
pp. 597-606
Author(s):  
David Amias ◽  
Karen Partridge ◽  
Sherry Rehim ◽  
Nsimire Aimee Bisimwa
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Frontline Workers ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
Psychosocial Perspective ◽  
Prosocial Behaviours

In this chapter, a different approach for refugees and asylum-seeking children and young people referred to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) is described. Clinicians working with this population group need to maintain a holistic, psychosocial perspective not constrained by CAMHS diagnostic categories. In many cases, the children and young people referred to CAMHS have functional family backgrounds with their ‘mental health disorder’ being the result of adverse experiences prior to or during the perilous journey they have undertaken before arriving in UK. Their essentially positive functioning provides the basis for a good recovery provided social conditions support them appropriately. Discerning when to offer what intervention is a crucial skill. Prosocial behaviours, resourcefulness, and strengths should be recognized and nurtured for these young people to develop their own preferred identities and start on a healthy process of integration into new society. Various types of intervention such as an emotional well-being group work and narrative-based interventions (for unaccompanied asylum seekers), community interventions, risk support to the professional network, direct work, as well as training frontline workers in assessing concerns about young people, offering effective emotional first aid and suitable referrals are described.

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