Journal
SSM-POPULATION HEALTH
Volume 19, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101169
Keywords
Refugees; Adolescents; Mental health; School; Inequality; Germany; COVID-19
Categories
Funding
- Bundesministerium f?r Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany) [01GL1749A]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Schools play a crucial role in supporting the mental health of refugee adolescents, but the lack of resources hinders their ability to meet their needs. Schools and social activities, as well as trusting school-parent relationships, are key factors in supporting the mental health of refugee adolescents. These issues are rooted in historical segregation and discrimination in the German educational system and are exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schools are relevant settings for supporting refugee adolescents' mental health. As education and migration are important social determinants of health, we aim to integrate the qualitative findings of our mixed-methods study into a broader discussion regarding the role of schools and the potential effects on refugee adolescents' lives and mental health, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we present the findings of schoolbased actors' (i.e., teachers and school psychologists) perception of refugee adolescents' access to mental health care. The interviews highlight the importance of schools and social activities as main stabilizers and sources of support for refugee adolescents' mental health and the role trusting school-parent relationships play in mental health care help-seeking. Our data indicate that schools lack the resources to properly address these needs. However, these structural gaps are rooted into historical segregation and discrimination in the German educational system and left unaddressed, can increase stigma and intergenerational social inequalities, especially in connection to the COVID-19 pandemic. We conclude our article with a set of recommendations that could be relevant and implemented across different contexts to strengthen the role of the school setting in promoting the mental health and well-being of refugee adolescents.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available