Department of Public Health, Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, Copenhagen University, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1014, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Netherlands Association for Community Health Services, Zwarte Woud 2, 3524 SJ, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Eur J Pediatr. 2018 Dec;177(12):1767-1774. doi: 10.1007/s00431-018-3249-0. Epub 2018 Sep 17.
Unaccompanied refugee adolescents who have fled war and persecution often have poor mental health. Yet, little is known about their own perspectives on what can relieve their mental health problems. The aim was to explore unaccompanied refugee adolescents' perspectives on healing and the mental healthcare offered to them when resettled. The study was based on methodical triangulation of participant observation in a Danish municipal institution for unaccompanied refugee minors, semi-structured individual interviews with experts, social workers and male refugee minors and a focus group interview with refugee minors. Results show that the refugee adolescents associated traditional conversational therapy with discussing negative and stigmatising aspects of their past and carrying risks of re-traumatisation. Instead, alternative activities were proposed, through which resources could be accumulated and they could be met without stereotype.Conclusion: To enhance the complex mental health needs of unaccompanied minors' mental healthcare, the perspective of the refugee adolescents should be taken into account. This calls for a holistic approach to mental healthcare in their daily lives, where they are met in a non-stigmatising manner in which their unique capabilities are the main focus. Moreover, a trusting relationship constitutes the fundament to support good mental health among refugee adolescents. What is Known: • Unaccompanied refugee adolescents are at risk of poor mental health outcomes, e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD and psychosocial stress. • Stigma, lack of social support, stressful life events and lack of intercultural competency among mental health professionals are barriers to good mental health. What is New: • There is a need for informal and tailored health promotion initiatives in the refugee adolescents' everyday lives. • To treat the refugee adolescents as equal human beings through curiosity and receptiveness to their resources is important in order to build trust and address stigma.
孤身难民青少年为逃避战争和迫害而逃离家园，他们的心理健康往往不佳。然而，人们对他们自己对于哪些方法可以缓解心理健康问题的看法知之甚少。本研究旨在探讨孤身难民青少年对于疗愈的看法，以及他们在重新安置后接受的精神卫生保健。该研究基于对丹麦一个为孤身难民未成年人设立的市政机构中的参与者观察、与专家、社会工作者和男性难民未成年人的半结构化个人访谈以及难民未成年人焦点小组访谈的方法性三角测量。研究结果表明，难民青少年将传统的对话疗法与讨论过去的消极和污名化方面以及存在再次创伤的风险联系起来。相反，他们提出了替代活动，通过这些活动可以积累资源，并且可以在没有刻板印象的情况下满足他们的需求。结论：为了满足孤身未成年人的复杂精神卫生需求，应考虑难民青少年的观点。这需要对他们的日常生活中的精神卫生保健采取整体方法，以非污名化的方式满足他们，关注他们独特的能力。此外，建立信任关系是支持难民青少年良好心理健康的基础。已知内容：• 孤身难民青少年面临心理健康不良的风险，例如抑郁、焦虑、创伤后应激障碍和心理社会压力。• 污名化、缺乏社会支持、生活压力事件以及精神卫生专业人员缺乏跨文化能力是良好心理健康的障碍。新内容：• 需要在难民青少年的日常生活中开展非正式和定制的健康促进举措。• 通过好奇心和对他们资源的接受来平等对待难民青少年，对于建立信任和解决污名化问题非常重要。
