Resilience and protective factors among refugee children post-migration to high-income countries: A systematic review

Individual Author(s) / Organizational Author
Marley, Charles
Mauki, Beatus
Date
August 2019
Publication
European Journal of Public Jealth
Abstract / Description

Background: Increasing numbers of children have been forced to flee and seek asylum in high-income countries. Current research indicates that focusing on resilience and protective factors is an important long-term goal for positive mental health and psychological functioning of refugee children.

Methods: We performed a systematic review of quantitative literature regarding psychological and contextual factors that contribute to resilience in refugee children residing in high-income countries. Our procedure followed guidelines from the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination.

Results: We identified a number of protective factors as related to positive outcomes. They are drawn from several ecological domains and include age, self-esteem, maintenance of cultural identity, social support, belonging and safety and innovative social care services. A key overarching point reported by the studies we reviewed was that for refugee settlement specific policies and approaches to be beneficial, they were required to be embedded within a positive socially inclusive society. We also identified several limitations across the reported studies.

Conclusion: The factors we identified would assist clinicians to adopt a resilience-focused approach. However, a continued pre-occupation with psychopathology was evident across the studies, which we argue as holding back the development of resilience-focused approaches. (author abstract)

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Artifact Type
Research
Reference Type
Journal Article
Geographic Focus
International
Priority Population
Children and youth
Migrants, immigrants, and refugees
P4HE Authored
No
Topic Area
Social/Structural Determinants » Global Health » Migration