The mediational role of schools in supporting psychosocial transitions among unaccompanied young refugees upon resettlement in Norway (original) (raw)
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The decisive role of school in the lives of unaccompanied refugee minors in Norway
This article is about the significant role school plays in the lives of unaccompanied refugee minors. School is important as an arena for learning and development as well as an arena to meet peers and build social networks. The article addresses rights and access to education for unaccompanied minors in Norway, and the various challenges they meet. These challenges frequently lead to leaving school early. Furthermore, it focuses on the psychosocial aspects of school, a secure setting allowing unaccompanied minors to be “ordinary” young people. Discourse excerpts from interviews conducted in connection with an ongoing Norwegian research project are used to demonstrate the issues discussed. To promote school achievement, the importance of recognizing unaccompanied minors’ needs as well as resources is emphasized. Finally, a comprehensive approach to refugee schooling by providing educational and psychosocial support in various arenas – inside and outside school – is recommended.
Unaccompanied refugee minors and resettlement: Turning points towards integration
European Journal of Social Psychology, 2021
Resettling into a new country may pose many challenges for unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs). In this study we seek to get a better understanding of these challenges through analysing interviews with 48 URMs five years after their arrival in Norway, using the concept of turning points as an analytic frame. Gaining a sense of security, feeling affiliated, being loved and cared for, and becoming independent were identified as important turning points. Despite high levels of agency, many of the youths struggled to fulfil these basic needs, possibly due to limited relational and cultural resources. These struggles seemed to interfere with their capacity to participate in important developmental activities, affecting their well‐being and making integration difficult. This study's results accentuate the need for better systems and assistance from people in their support system to help URMs towards feeling secure, affiliated, loved, and independent as this may facilitate resettlement...
BMJ Open
Objectives To examine the mental health of unaccompanied refugee minors prospectively during the asylum-seeking process, with a focus on specific stages in the asylum process, such as age assessment, placement in a supportive or non-supportive facility and final decision on the asylum applications. Design This was a2½ year follow-up study of unaccompanied minors (UM) seeking asylum in Norway. Data were collected within three weeks (n=138) and at 4 months (n=101), 15 months (n=84) and 26 months (n=69) after arrival. Setting Initially in an observation and orientation centre for unaccompanied asylum-seeking adolescents, and subsequently wherever the UM were located in other refugee facilities in Norway. Participants Male UM from Afghanistan, Somalia, Algeria and Iran. Main outcome measures Mental health symptoms assessed by Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 and Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Results At the group level, the young asylum seekers reported high levels of psychological distress on arrival and symptom levels that stayed relatively unchanged over time. According to age-assessment procedures, 56% of the population were not recognised as minors. Subsequent placement in a low-support facility was associated with higher levels of psychological distress in the follow-up period. Those who were placed in a reception centre for adults had higher levels of psychological distress symptoms both after 15 months and 26 months compared with the remaining participants who were placed in reception centres for youth. Refusal of asylum was highly associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Conclusion Mental health trajectory of young asylum seekers appears to be negatively affected by low support and refusal of asylum.
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 2008
Unaccompanied refugee children and adolescents are a vulnerable group: they live not only in a relatively difficult situation as minor refugees staying in another country, but also face other risks due to the absence of their parents, such as traumatic experiences, exploitation or abuse. The difficult living situation of these unaccompanied refugee children and adolescents might therefore threaten their emotional well-being, resulting in important emotional and behavioural problems. This 'psychological' perspective shows the necessity of a strongly elaborated reception and care system for these children and adolescents in order to meet their specific situation and needs. Nevertheless, the case study of unaccompanied refugee minors living in Belgium, as explored in this paper, shows that the legal perspective on these youthsconsidering them as 'refugees' and 'migrants', not as 'children'is predominantly the starting point to build the care system on. Moreover, this legal perspective contrasts sharply with the psychological perspective, as such that these children and adolescents do not receive appropriate support and care as they need.
Commissioned by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and the Norwegian Directorate of Health, this study focuses on the realization of the right to rehabilitation and social reintegration assistance to asylum-seeking children who have been victims of, participated in or witnessed acts of war. The report describes good practices on psychosocial support from Denmark, Sweden and Luxembourg and presents lessons learned from rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for war-affected children by international organizations. In addition, the Norwegian context is also taken into account through examples of psychosocial support on different levels in the Norwegian society. The project is based on a desk study and qualitative interviews. The empirical data material consists of 16 interviews with practitioners, four with national experts in the case countries and one expert interview in Norway. Interviews were also conducted with five war-affected youth, five parents of war-affected asylum-seeking children and three foster parents for unaccompanied minors. The report argues that rehabilitation interventions and social re/integration measures need to take into account both protective factors and risk factors. Examples of protective factors are structured activities within arenas such as school and kindergarten, a well-established and stable accommodation, participation in regular recreational activities, supportive and emotionally available parents, supportive adults outside the family and peer relationships, not least through establishing new social networks with native peers. Appropriate cross-culturally sensitive therapeutic care need to be provided to those children, or those parents, who are traumatized or suffer from other types of mental problems related to war experiences. The report presents recommendations to Norwegian authorities on how to improve identification, rehabilitation and social re/integration of war-affected asylum-seeking children.
Frontiers in Psychology, 2022
Most studies on refugee populations are organized around trauma-related issues and focus on explaining pathological factors. Few studies are anchored in general developmental psychology with the aim of exploring normal age-specific developmental tasks and how the special circumstances associated with forced migration can influence how developmental tasks are negotiated. This study is part of a larger mixed method study seeking to identify resilience-promoting and resilience-inhibiting factors, on individual and contextual levels, among asylum seekers and refugees on the move (passing through Serbia) and settled in reception centers in Norway. A strategic sample of 20 adolescent and young adult refugees/asylum seekers during flight in Serbia (10) and after arrival in Norway (10) was chosen from a sample of 178 refugees interviewed in depth in Serbia and at receptions centers in Norway. The sample reflects the focus of this paper, which is to explore adolescent and young adult refugee...
Transitions for young people seeking asylum
Managing transitionsSupport for individuals at key points of change, 2009
This paper explores the processes of change and transition for unaccompanied children as they seek to resettle in a new country. It defines the concepts of 'change' and 'transition'. The empirical data used in this chapter focusses largely on the process of claiming asylum as a key transitional experience in the lives of unaccompanied asylum seeking children, focusing on the psychological effects of 'stillness', 'movement' and 'time' as internal and external realities as children wait. It addresses this waiting as both a reprieve and a burden, and considers the ways in which practitioners can practically engage with unaccompanied children to support them during processes of change and transition, waiting for and knowing an asylum decision, and then resettlement or return. It addresses other significant 'change' and 'transition' experiences in the lives of this group of children, such as arrival, resettlement and return and highlights practice points for professionals working with them. Keywords: change and transitions; unaccompanied children; waiting; time; psychological stillness, psychological movement, asylum, resettlement, return, practice points for professionals.
Scandinavian journal of psychology, 2015
There is a lack of knowledge about psychosocial resources that may sustain post-resettlement psychological adjustment among unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of social support from family abroad and friends on acculturation, discrimination, and mental health among these vulnerable children and youth. Questionnaire data were collected from a population-based multi-ethnic sample involving 895 unaccompanied minors resettled in municipalities in all regions of the country. They met in groups in their local communities. The informants were on average 18.6 years, and had an average length of stay in Norway of 3.5 years. The findings showed that the participants suffered from high levels of ongoing war related intrusive symptoms and depression. Still, at the same time they engaged in adaptation processes that are normative to youth with immigrant backgrounds, in terms of constructing supportive networks and developing culture competence....
Transitions for Young People Seeking Asylum (2009)
2010
This paper explores the processes of change and transition for unaccompanied children as they seek to resettle in a new country. It defines the concepts of 'change' and 'transition'. The empirical data used in this chapter focusses largely on the process of claiming asylum as a key transitional experience in the lives of unaccompanied asylum seeking children, focusing on the psychological effects of 'stillness', 'movement' and 'time' as internal and external realities as children wait. It addresses this waiting as both a reprieve and a burden, and considers the ways in which practitioners can practically engage with unaccompanied children to support them during processes of change and transition, waiting for and knowing an asylum decision, and then resettlement or return. Drawing from the broader literature,It addresses other significant 'change' and 'transition' experiences in the lives of this group of children, such as arrival, resettlement and return and highlights practice points for professionals working with them. Keywords: change and transitions; unaccompanied children; waiting; time; psychological stillness, psychological movement, asylum, resettlement, return, practice points for professionals.