Mental health of displaced and refugee children resettled in high-income countries: risk and protective factors

We undertook a systematic search and review of individual, family, community, and societal risk and protective factors for mental health in children and adolescents who are forcibly displaced to high-income countries. Exposure to violence has been shown to be a key risk factor, whereas stable settle...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Lancet (British edition) 2012, Vol.379 (9812), p.266-282
Main Authors: Fazel, Mina, Dr, Reed, Ruth V, MRCPsych, Panter-Brick, Catherine, Prof, Stein, Alan, Prof
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
adolescents
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Children
Children & youth
Developed Countries
Epidemiology
Female
General aspects
Host country
Humans
Internal Medicine
issues and policy
Male
Medical sciences
Mental Disorders - epidemiology
Mental Disorders - etiology
Mental Health
Migration
Miscellaneous
Parenting
Parents - psychology
Post traumatic stress disorder
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Racial discrimination
Refugees
Refugees - psychology
risk
Risk factors
Risk Management
Social Problems
Social Support
Socioeconomic Factors
Variables
Violence
Violence - psychology
Warfare
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We undertook a systematic search and review of individual, family, community, and societal risk and protective factors for mental health in children and adolescents who are forcibly displaced to high-income countries. Exposure to violence has been shown to be a key risk factor, whereas stable settlement and social support in the host country have a positive effect on the child's psychological functioning. Further research is needed to identify the relevant processes, contexts, and interplay between the many predictor variables hitherto identified as affecting mental health vulnerability and resilience. Research designs are needed that enable longitudinal investigation of individual, community, and societal contexts, rather than designs restricted to investigation of the associations between adverse exposures and psychological symptoms. We emphasise the need to develop comprehensive policies to ensure a rapid resolution of asylum claims and the effective integration of internally displaced and refugee children.
ISSN:0140-6736
1474-547X
DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60051-2