A systematic review of school-based social-emotional interventions for refugee and war-traumatized youth

Refugees often experience significant psychological distress, but many do not
receive necessary services. Among children and youth, most mental health
services are provided by schools, so schools are an important service provider
for young refugees. We conducted a systemic literature review to synthesize
and evaluate the existing research on school-based interventions to
improve mental health or social-emotional functioning of students who are
refugees, asylum seekers, or immigrants with war trauma. Three types of
school-based interventions were identified: cognitive behavioral therapy,
creative expression, and multitiered or multimodal models. The review identified
several interventions with positive effects, as well as multiple interventions
that had null or negative effects. We address the implications of this
body of intervention research for practice and research.