TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental Health Problems in Separated Refugee Adolescents
AU - Derluyn, Ilse
AU - Mels, Cindy
AU - Broekaert, Eric
PY - 2009/3
Y1 - 2009/3
N2 - Purpose: As migration and separation from parents are widely recognized as important risk factors for the mental health of adolescents, this study aims to investigate mental health problems in refugee adolescents separated from their parents compared to their accompanied peers, all living in Belgium. Methods: One thousand two hundred ninety-four adolescents-10% of them refugee adolescents separated from both parents-completed three self-report questionnaires (Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-37A, Stressful Life Events, and Reaction of Adolescents to Traumatic Stress) on the prevalence of traumatic experiences, anxiety, and depression symptoms, externalizing problems, and posttraumatic stress. Results: Refugee adolescents separated from both parents experienced the highest number of traumatic events compared to accompanied refugee adolescents. Risk factors influencing the development of serious mental health problems (anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress) are separation from parents, high number of traumatizing events experienced, and gender. Despite the fact that refugee adolescents living only with their mother experienced more traumatizing events compared to adolescents living with both parents, they have fewer mental health problems than refugee adolescents living with their father. Conclusions: This study confirms the importance of the availability of parents to adolescents who have to deal with migration experiences, because separated refugee adolescents are at higher risk to experience multiple traumatic experiences and to develop severe mental health problems. Reception and care structures should provide more adequate preventive and curative interventions to these at-risk groups, and government policies should consider these adolescents primarily as "minors" rather than just "refugees.".
AB - Purpose: As migration and separation from parents are widely recognized as important risk factors for the mental health of adolescents, this study aims to investigate mental health problems in refugee adolescents separated from their parents compared to their accompanied peers, all living in Belgium. Methods: One thousand two hundred ninety-four adolescents-10% of them refugee adolescents separated from both parents-completed three self-report questionnaires (Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-37A, Stressful Life Events, and Reaction of Adolescents to Traumatic Stress) on the prevalence of traumatic experiences, anxiety, and depression symptoms, externalizing problems, and posttraumatic stress. Results: Refugee adolescents separated from both parents experienced the highest number of traumatic events compared to accompanied refugee adolescents. Risk factors influencing the development of serious mental health problems (anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress) are separation from parents, high number of traumatizing events experienced, and gender. Despite the fact that refugee adolescents living only with their mother experienced more traumatizing events compared to adolescents living with both parents, they have fewer mental health problems than refugee adolescents living with their father. Conclusions: This study confirms the importance of the availability of parents to adolescents who have to deal with migration experiences, because separated refugee adolescents are at higher risk to experience multiple traumatic experiences and to develop severe mental health problems. Reception and care structures should provide more adequate preventive and curative interventions to these at-risk groups, and government policies should consider these adolescents primarily as "minors" rather than just "refugees.".
KW - Mental health problems
KW - Refugee adolescents
KW - Separation from parents
KW - Trauma
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=60349089057&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.07.016
DO - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.07.016
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 19237116
AN - SCOPUS:60349089057
SN - 1054-139X
VL - 44
SP - 291
EP - 297
JO - Journal of Adolescent Health
JF - Journal of Adolescent Health
IS - 3
ER -