The mental health and wellbeing of Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URMs)

BackgroundToday, almost half of all refugees worldwide are children and adolescents, nearly a quarter of whom arrive in Europe as Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM). Many URMs have experienced the cumulative stress of being exposed both to the adverse environmental conditions which drive forced migration, and to the traumatic experience of displacement and resettlement. These experiences, coupled with other developmental stressors, may impede their overall development and increase their likelihood of mental health problems. Despite the evident vulnerability of URMs, much controversy currently surrounds the legitimacy of their arrival in host countries and their mental health is given little consideration.ObjectiveThis review synthesises and examines the limited published literature on the impact of traumatic refugee experiences on the mental health and development of URMs.MethodsAcademic databases and other sources were searched using key terms relating to URMs and mental health.ResultsThe findings confirm in large part that being a URM negatively influences mental health development, and that adolescence and being female are particular indicators of increased risk of psychiatric disorders. However, cultural differences in measurement and assessment of mental health are important confounding factors.ConclusionsThe current literature on youth in transit consistently paints a picture of how experiences URMs face can place a great burden on their mental health - clearly depicting an urgent need to consider their mental health within the current climate. The pressing need for improved care based on best practice is discussed.     

Community-based surveillance to monitor trends in unaccompanied and separated children in eastern DRC

Children who are separated from their families and usual caregivers in emergencies face a multitude of risks. The humanitarian community lacks methods to systematically capture changes in the frequency and nature of such separations over time. A mobile phone-based community surveillance system was piloted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The goal was to identify new cases of unaccompanied and separated children on a weekly basis. Over an 11-week period, community focal points reported 62 cases of separation across 10 communities. The majority of children had been under the care of their parents prior to separation. More than half of the children were unaccompanied, meaning that they were living without an adult relative or customary caregiver. The pilot results suggest that implementing a mobile phone-based surveillance system in a humanitarian setting may be feasible and cost-effective and fills a critical gap in the measurement of separated and unaccompanied children in emergencies. A longer pilot to better understand how the system performs over time is recommended.     

Education of unaccompanied refugee minors in high-income countries: Risk and resilience factors

Record numbers of unaccompanied refugee minors continue to arrive in high-income countries seeking asylum and protection. Despite receiving educational support, unaccompanied refugee minors continue to be vulnerable to negative educational experiences and outcomes. The review investigates what resilience factors enable unaccompanied refugee minors in high-income countries to have positive educational experiences and outcomes. It aims to inform the literature on risk and resilience factors and the development of future interventions. Eighteen articles met the eligibility criteria for the review. Twenty-six factors were identified as risk and resilience factors related to five socio-ecological levels: child, microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. The findings revealed significant heterogeneity. Microsystemic and mesosystemic factors were found to play the most important role in educational resilience. Meanwhile, young mothers, minors who experienced immigration detention, and minors whose immigration statuses are unknown or pending are sub-groups of unaccompanied refugee minors who are particularly vulnerable to risk. Findings are discussed with implications for future research, policy, and practice. Future studies need to elaborate whether their findings are particular to the condition of being unaccompanied or being refugee.