Effective Intervention for Traumatized Refugee Children

The United States accepts more than 73,000 refugees each year, with children under age 18 accounting for 40% of the total (1;4). Society should understand these children’s past for many reasons. Many refugee children have witnessed and/or experienced political violence, war, and other traumatizing events, which causes high levels of anxiety and depression illnesses (1). Language barriers and insufficient access to mental health services make it difficult for these children to receive treatment. Schools are well positioned to take action (2). Teachers can empower refugee students by incorporating content-based lessons that encourage students’ self expression and language learning (2). Teachers need to know about the different triggers of trauma so they can create a safe environment for students to learn (2;1).  Schools can support children and their families in ways critical to rehabilitating these children’s mental health (3).

International and national studies have examined the effects of trauma for thousands of refugee children (1;3). Through field studies, scholars explore the need for trauma intervention in environments easily accessed by refugee and asylum-seeking children and families. Growing evidence suggests that refugee and asylum-seeking children who have experienced traumatic events would benefit most from trauma-focused therapy. With training, teachers are well positioned to tackle trauma-related issues, and to build trust and create a safe environment for students (2;1). Doing so can help refugee students to acculturate and integrate into their new community.

Due to refugees’ under-representation within the U.S. population, research about traumatized child refugees involves a relatively small number of subjects. Variation in the detailed circumstances affecting refugee groups presents its own challenges (1;5). There is no one-size-fits-all program that will aid in traumatized refugees’ rehabilitation. Interventions developed for a particular refugee population can be ineffective for a different group (5). Language and cultural differences between refugees and their receiving communities can create mistrust, especially when services are unavailable in the newcomers’ native languages or when their culture and values are not acknowledged properly (5).