About this Research Topic
According to UNHCR, there is now a new sad record of 100 million people refugees and forcibly displaced worldwide. Every second refugee is a child or adolescent. These children lost many things that gave them a sense of safety and control in their lives. They left behind their homes, schools, friends and relatives. On top of these experiences, children are frequently exposed to traumatic events, such as extreme violence, war atrocities or sexual abuse before, during and sometimes even after their flight. These experiences may go beyond children’s coping strategies and can result in severe stress symptoms. These symptoms can persist over months or even years and severely limit the children’s quality of life and everyday functioning. However, there is to date still limited knowledge on assessment and treatment of this vulnerable population worldwide.
There is only limited knowledge on traumatic experiences before and during the migration, risk and protective factors of mental health problems, and the impact of daily stressors on psychopathology in refugee children and adolescents (including internally displaced children) around the world. Moreover, to date, the vast majority of assessment tools and treatment protocols are developed, evaluated and implemented in high-income countries. Since most refugee children and youth live in low- and middle-income countries, though, we need a better understanding of how to implement these protocols in these regions which often have very different mental health care systems. Moreover, in light of successfully implementing and disseminating evidence-based practices, there is a need for research investigating factors that facilitate this process (e.g., through collaboration with local communities). Research on adult refugees cannot be directly applied to refugee children, not least because of developmental differences, which is why this Research Topic focuses on research on refugee children and youth exclusively.
The focus of this Research Topic is on research that aims to investigate appropriate assessment tools and (trauma-focused) treatments for this target population, which focus on trauma (also during the migration process), psychopathology (e.g., PTSD; grief), cultural aspects and refugee-specific stressors in the settlement country (e.g., asylum process). This Research Topic will also focus on developmental aspects of refugee children and youth which might have a crucial impact on symptom development and maintenance. Lastly, research on the sustainable implementation and dissemination of evidence-based practices for this population in the global North and South is encouraged. We are open to research coming from different research disciplines and traditions, including psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy, social work, migration studies, clinical neurosciences, public health, or education research among others. We welcome original research, reviews, policy and practice reviews, case reports, community case studies, clinical trials, clinical study protocols.
There is only limited knowledge on traumatic experiences before and during the migration, risk and protective factors of mental health problems, and the impact of daily stressors on psychopathology in refugee children and adolescents (including internally displaced children) around the world. Moreover, to date, the vast majority of assessment tools and treatment protocols are developed, evaluated and implemented in high-income countries. Since most refugee children and youth live in low- and middle-income countries, though, we need a better understanding of how to implement these protocols in these regions which often have very different mental health care systems. Moreover, in light of successfully implementing and disseminating evidence-based practices, there is a need for research investigating factors that facilitate this process (e.g., through collaboration with local communities). Research on adult refugees cannot be directly applied to refugee children, not least because of developmental differences, which is why this Research Topic focuses on research on refugee children and youth exclusively.
The focus of this Research Topic is on research that aims to investigate appropriate assessment tools and (trauma-focused) treatments for this target population, which focus on trauma (also during the migration process), psychopathology (e.g., PTSD; grief), cultural aspects and refugee-specific stressors in the settlement country (e.g., asylum process). This Research Topic will also focus on developmental aspects of refugee children and youth which might have a crucial impact on symptom development and maintenance. Lastly, research on the sustainable implementation and dissemination of evidence-based practices for this population in the global North and South is encouraged. We are open to research coming from different research disciplines and traditions, including psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy, social work, migration studies, clinical neurosciences, public health, or education research among others. We welcome original research, reviews, policy and practice reviews, case reports, community case studies, clinical trials, clinical study protocols.
Keywords: Trauma, Child, Refugee, Mental Health, Treatment
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