Promoting wellbeing in refugee children: An exploratory controlled trial of a positive psychology intervention delivered in Greek refugee camps.

• In Event: Psychological Interventions to Improve Mental Health and Well-Being of Refugee Children living in Refugee Settlements

Abstract

Background: There are few rigorously evaluated interventions for refugee children targeted at promoting protective factors and positive psychological resources rather than ameliorating negative psychological outcomes. Furthermore, there is a need to design interventions that consider the specific situation of refugee children that are on the move. In particular, children still in transit have not only experienced considerable trauma but also continue to experience significant challenges such as poverty, malnutrition, limited access to education, insecurity, further violence and poor health (Silove, Ventevogel, & Rees, 2017; Hodes and Vostanis, 2018). In response to this identified gap we developed a new short, group-based, resilience building intervention, the Strengths for the Journey (SFJ) program (Foka and Sergianni, 2019). SFJ was designed specifically for refugee children temporarily living in camps on Lesvos, Greece, in order to address the ongoing challenges they face on their journey.
Method: We conducted a quasi-randomized wait-listed trial design pilot study to determine whether the SFJ intervention improves positive psychological resources such as wellbeing, hope and self-esteem and reduces depressive symptoms in child and adolescent refugees living in camps in Lesvos. This was followed by focus group interviews with intervention participants three months after the delivery of the intervention. 72 children participated in the study and ranged in age from 7 to 14 years.
Results: Findings indicated significant improvements in wellbeing (F(1, 46)=42.99, ηp2=.48), self-esteem (F(1, 56)=29.11, ηp2=.40), optimism (F(1, 53)=27.16, ηp2=.34), and reductions in depressive symptoms (F(1, 31)=62.14, ηp2=.67) in the intervention group compared to the wait-listed group (all p<.05). Focus group participants highlighted the importance of the SFJ program in developing a sense of togetherness and building their strengths.
Conclusions: Child refugees still in transit, and in low-resource settings may benefit from brief, first-line interventions that target protective factors such as wellbeing, hope, self-esteem, and belonging.

Authors

• Sevasti Foka, Queen Mary University of London
  Presenting Author

• Kristin Hadfield, Trinity College Dublin
  Non-Presenting Author

• Michael Pluess, Queen Mary University of London
  Non-Presenting Author

• Isabelle Mareschal, Queen Mary University of London
  Non-Presenting Author