Mental Health Problems of Refugee Children: A Case Study of Transit Center Intervention in the Republic of Macedonia
- Institution: University of Tetova
- Year of publication: 2019
- Source: Show
- Pages: 91-106
- DOI Address: https://doi.org/10.15804/kie.2019.02.06
- PDF: kie/124/kie12406.pdf
Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his/her own potential, can cope with the normal stress of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his/her community (World Health Organization, 2004). War and disasters have the greatest impact on mental health and psychosocial well-being. A considerable number of child refugees enter Europe to seek refuge from ongoing conflict and war in their home countries. Refugee children are at greater risk of psychological distress than non-refugee children and they may develop symptoms such as depression, PTSD, anxiety, physical problems or become aggressive. Trauma can impact the children’s physical well-being, cognitive development and psychological/emotional well-being and behavior. Therefore, these children are identified as having unique; however, urgent mental health needs requiring timely interventions. According to these findings, in this article the author is trying to explain the mental health problems and interventions among two refugee children (brother and sister) who stayed in the Transit Centre “Vinojug” in Gevgelija, Republic of Macedonia, two years ago. They had significant psychological disturbances such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, because they lost their home and their father. They have been here only with their pregnant mother. At the beginning they needed individual psychiatric or psychological support, but later also group psycho-social support. Verbal, art and game-based interventions proved effective in reducing the PTSD symptoms and depression. After that, the children showed positive emotions such as gratitude, hope, happiness, and optimism. At the same time they started to attend the local school and the first words in Macedonian language were: “Hello, how are you?” They have already learned the Macedonian language and counted in Macedonian; they knew how to ask for water and learned the basic terms. Hence, when they left the Transit Center with their mother, they were very sad: “Here we have many new friends who help and love us”. Our study provides a strong evidence base regarding the use of verbal and clinical interventions for PTSD and emotional and behavioral difficulties, respectively. Also, the main goal of the psychological workshop is stimulation of the copy strategies, resilience and psychosocial development through structured playful activities such as voice, movement, painting, drawing, song, sound.
REFERENCES:
- Allwood, M.A., Bell-Dolan, D., & Husain, S.A. (2002). Children’s Trauma and Adjustment Reactions to Violent and Nonviolent War Experiences. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41(4), pp. 450-457.
- Anders, M., & Christiansen, H. (2016). Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: A Systematic Review of Psychological Interventions. Kindheit und Entwicklung, 25(4), pp. 216-230. DOI: 10.1026/0942-5403/a000201.
- DeAnstiss, H., Ziaian, T., Procter, N., Warland, J., & Baghurst, P. (2009). Help-seeking for Mental Health Problems in Young Refugees: A Review of the Literature with Implications for Policy, Practice, and Research. Transcultural Psychiatry, 46(4), pp. 584-607. DOI: 10.1177/1363461509351363.
- Balkan Insight (2016). Refugees Make Best of Camp Life in Macedonia. Retrieved from: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/refugees-make-best-of-camp-life-in-macedonia-0720-2016.
- Bemak, F., Chung, R.C.Y., & Pedersen, P.B. (2003). Counselling Refugees: A Psychosocial Approach to Innovative Multicultural Interventions. Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
- Bhugra, D., & Jones, P. (2001). Migration and Mental Illness. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 7(3), pp. 216-222. DOI:10.1192/apt.7.3.216.
- Brough, M., Gorman, D., Ramirez, E., & Westoby, P. (2003). Young Refugees Talk about Wellbeing: A Qualitative Analysis of Refugee Youth Mental Health from Three States. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 38(2), pp. 193-208.
- Brown, R., Witt, A., Fegert, J.M., Keller, F., Rassenhofer, M., & Plener, P. (2017). Psychosocial Interventions for Children and Adolescents after Man-made and Natural Disasters: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review. Psychological Medicine, 47(11), pp. 1893-1905. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291717000496.
- Crawley, H. (2007). When Is a Child Not a Child? Asylum, Age Disputes and the Process of Age Assessment. London: The Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association.
- Crowley, C. (2009). The Mental Health Needs of Refugee Children: A Review of Literature and Implications for Nurse Practitioners. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 21(6), pp. 322-331. DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-7599.2009.00413.x.
- Ellis, B., MacDonald, H.Z., Lincoln, A.K., & Cabral, H.J. (2008). Mental Health of Somali Adolescent Refugees: The Role of Trauma, Stress, and Perceived Discrimination. Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology, 76(2), pp. 184-193. DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.76.2.184.
- Fazel, M., & Stein, A. (2002). Review: The Mental Health of Refugee Children. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 87, pp. 366-370.
- Fazel, M., & Stein, A. (2003). Mental Health of Refugee Children: Comparative Study. British Medical Journal, 327, pp. 134-141.
- Fazel, M., Wheeler, J., & Danesh, J. (2005). Prevalence of Serious Mental Disorder in 7000Refugees Resettled in Western Countries: A Systematic Review. The Lancet, 365, pp. 1309-1314. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)61027-6.
- Fazel, M., Reed, R.V., Panter-Brick, C., & Stein, S. (2012). Mental Health of Displaced and Refugee Children Resettled in High-income Countries: Risk and Protective Factors. The Lancet, 379(9812), pp. 266-282. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60051-2.
- Free, E. (2003). Young Refugees: Providing Emotional Support to Young Separated Refugees in the UK. London: Save the Children.
- Hamilton, R.J., Anderson, A., Frater-Mathieson, K., Loewen, S., & Moore, D.W. (2000). Literature Review: Interventions for Refugee Children in New Zealand Schools: Models, Methods, and Best Practice. New Zealand: Ministry of Education.
- Hamilton, R., & Moore, D. (Eds.) (2004). Educational Interventions for Refugee Children: Theoretical Perspectives and Implementing Best Practice. London: Rutledge Flamer.
- Heptinstall, E., Sesthna, V., & Taylor, E. (2004). PTSD and Depression in Refugee Children: Associations with Pre-Migration Trauma and Post-Migration Stress. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 13(6), pp. 373-380.
- Hassan, G., Ventevogel, P., Jefee-Bahloul, H., Barkil-Oteo, A., & Kirmayer, LJ. (2016). Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Syrians Affected by Armed Conflict. Epidemiology Psychiatric Sciences, 25(2), pp. 129-141. DOI: 10.1017/S2045796016000044.
- Hassan, G., Kirmayer, L.J., Mekki-Berrada, A., Quosh, C., el Chammay, R., Deville-Stoetzel, J.B., Youssef, A., Jefee-Bahloul, H., Barkeel-Oteo, A., Coutts, A., Song, S.,& Ventevogel, P. (2015). Culture, Context and the Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Syrians. Geneva: UNHCR. Retrieved from: http://www.unhcr.org/55f6b90f9.pdf.
- Hodes, M., Jagdev, D., Chandra, N., & Cuniff, A. (2008). Risk and Resilience for Psychological Distress amongst Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(7), pp. 723-732. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01912.x.
- Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) (2007). IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings. Geneva: IASC.
- Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) (2008). Mental Health and Psychosocial Support: Checklist for Field Use. Geneva: IASC.
- IOM: International Organization for Migration (2013). ‘Key Migration Terms’. Retrieved from: http://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/about-migration/key-migration-terms1.html.
- Kinzie, J.D., Cheng, K., Tsai, J., & Riley, C. (2006).Traumatized Refugee Children: The Case for Individualized Diagnosis and Treatment. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 194(7), pp. 534-537. DOI: 10.1097/01.nmd.0000224946.93376.51.
- Kirmayer, L.J., Narasiah, L., Munoz, M., Rashid, M., Ryder, A., Hassan, G., Rousseau, C., Pottie, K., & Guzder, J. (2011). Common Mental Health Problems in Immigrants and Refugees: General Approach to the Patient in Primary Care. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 183(12), pp. E959-E967.DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.090292.
- Lustig, S.L., Kia-Keating, M., Knight, W.G., Geltman, P., Ellis, H., Kinzie, J.D., Keane, T., & Saxe, G.N. (2004).Review of Child and Adolescent Refugee Mental Health. Journal of Child and Adolescence Psychiatry, 43(1), pp. 24-36. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-20040100000012.
- Möhlen, H.,Parzer, P., Resch, F., & Brunner, R. (2005). Psychosocial Support for War-traumatized Child and Adolescent Refugees: Evaluation of a Short-term Treatment Program. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 39(1-2), pp. 81-87.
- Montgomery, E. (2008). Long-term Effects of Organized Violence on Young Middle Eastern Refugees ‘Mental Health. Sociological Science & Medicine, 67(10), pp. 1596-1603. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.07.020.
- Nosč, M., Ballette, F., Bighelli, I., Turrini, G., Purgato, M., Tol, W., Priebe, S., & Barbui, C. (2017). Psychosocial Interventions for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Refugees and Asylum Seekers Resettled in High-income Countries: Systematic Review and Metaanalysis. PloS One, 12(2), pp. e0171030. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171030.
- Norredam, M., Garcia-Lopez, A., Keiding, N., & Krasnik, A. (2009). Risk of Mental Disorders in Refugees and Native Danes: A Register-based Retrospective Cohort Study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 44(12), pp. 1023-1029.
- NSW Refugee Health Service Working with Refugees: A Guide for Social Workers (2004). Sydney Australia.
- Oppedal, B., & Roysamb, E. (2004). Mental Health, Life Stress and Social Support among Young Norwegian Adolescents with Immigrant and Host National Background. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 45(2), pp. 131-144. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2004.00388.x.
- Oras, R., de Ezpeleta S.C., &Ahmad, A. (2004).Treatment of Traumatized Refugee Children with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing in a Psychodynamic Context. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 58(3), pp. 199-203. DOI: 10.1080/08039480410006232.
- Papadopoulos, R.K. (2001). Refugee Families: Issues of Systemic Supervision. Journal of Family Therapy, 23(4), pp. 405-422. DOI: 10.1111/1467-6427.00193.
- Papadopoulos, R.K. (2002). Refugees, Home and Trauma. In: R.K. Papadopoulos (Ed.), Therapeutic Care for Refugees: No Place Like Home. London: Karnac, Tavistock Clinic Series (9-40).
- Rousseau, C. (1995). The Mental Health of Refugee Children. Transcultural Psychiatry, 32(3), pp. 299-331. DOI: 10.1177/136346159503200304.
- Sellen, D.W., & Tedstone, A. (2000). Nutritional Needs of Refugee Children in the UK. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 93, pp. 360-364.
- Simich, L., Hamilton, H., & Baya, B.K. (2006). Mental Distress, Economic Hardship and Expectations of Life in Canada among Sudanese Newcomers. Trancultural Psychiatry, 43(3), pp. 418-444.DOI: 10.1177/1363461506066985.
- The Government of the Republic of Macedonia (2015). National Commission against Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration: “Standard Operating Procedure for Dealing with Unaccompanied and Separated Children”.
- UNCHR, (1951). Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Geneva: United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
- UNCHR-Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2016 (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.unchr.org?576408cd7.
- UNCHR the UN Refugee Agency. Refugees (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.unchr.org?uk?refugees.html.
- World Health Organization, (2004). Promoting Mental Health: Concepts, Emerging Evidence, Practice (Summary Report). Geneva: World Health Organization.
war refugee children mental health problems mental health interventions