Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
School Psychology and Development in Context Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2022 Oct;27(4):938-952. doi: 10.1177/13591045221105199. Epub 2022 May 26.
European countries face the challenge of promoting refugee and immigrant children's well-being within their host communities, invoking the necessity of adequate mental health assessment. This study aims to contribute to document the psychosocial well-being of primary school refugee and non-refugee immigrant children in Flanders, Belgium.
A total of 120 children (8-12 years old) with migration backgrounds participated in the study. Through self-report, parent and teacher questionnaires we scrutinized externalizing and internalizing behavioral problems, post-traumatic stress problems, and classroom relationships.
Thirty percent of the participants reported high levels of post-traumatic stress; around 25% reported a high or very high prevalence of internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. Self-reported mental health problems are elevated in comparison to the general population. Refugee children did not report more difficulties than their immigrant peers. In the perception of parents and teachers, respectively 20% and 5% of children showed high or very high amounts of internalizing and externalizing behavioral difficulties. Almost 70% of the participants perceived the class climate as unsafe.
Refugee and immigrant children are at risk for mental health difficulties, and experience classroom dynamics as markedly distressful. School-based intervention might be particularly suited to support these children's psychosocial well-being in resettlement.
欧洲各国面临着在其所在社区促进难民和移民儿童福祉的挑战，这就需要对其进行充分的心理健康评估。本研究旨在记录比利时佛兰德斯地区小学阶段难民和非难民移民儿童的社会心理福祉。
共有 120 名具有移民背景的儿童（8-12 岁）参与了这项研究。通过自我报告、家长和教师问卷，我们仔细研究了外化和内化行为问题、创伤后应激问题以及课堂关系。
30%的参与者报告存在高度的创伤后应激；约 25%的参与者报告存在高度或非常高的内化和外化行为问题。与一般人群相比，自我报告的心理健康问题更为突出。难民儿童的困难程度并不比他们的移民同龄人高。在家长和教师的眼中，分别有 20%和 5%的儿童表现出高度或非常高的内化和外化行为困难。近 70%的参与者认为课堂氛围不安全。
难民和移民儿童存在心理健康问题的风险，并且对课堂动态感到明显困扰。基于学校的干预措施可能特别适合支持这些儿童在重新安置过程中的社会心理福祉。
