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Summary PDF: What can help refugees process traumatic grief?

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What can help refugees process traumatic grief?

There is limited strong evidence on interventions that specifically target traumatic grief.
–  Prolonged and traumatic grief are usually closely associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and therefore many interventions targeted PTSD with grief symptoms as an auxiliary diagnosis
–  There appear to be some differences in interventions that target grief as a result of loss of homeland and grief as a result of loss of a loved one, particularly if that loss occurred in a traumatic manner.

Evidence on interventions with refugee populations that target grief is limited.
–  The available evidence is limited to interventions for clinically-diagnosed grief disorder. There is a breadth of evidence involving interventions targeting PTSD, however it is unclear how many of these may target grief as a confounding factor or have been adapted to address grief as the central condition. Additionally, there is no available evidence on whether interventions targeting traumatic grief in the general population would be successful for the refugee context, although it is likely that they would need to undergo contextual adaptations.
– There is some evidence that interventions with youth or interventions focusing on creative expression in adults are more open to individuals who do not have a diagnosis, but rather are experiencing any level of grief.

There is fairly robust information on interventions for refugee youth that target various mental health conditions, including traumatic grief.
– School-based programs were specifically analyzed and found that the school setting can be an effective location for intervention but that school personnel may need specialized support from clinicians to increase effectiveness of programming

Post TitleStrength of EvidenceType of StudyDirection of Evidence
Family Empowerment (FAME): A feasibility trial of preventive multifamily groups for asylum seeker families in the NetherlandsPositive impactSuggestive evidencePositive impact
Family interventions in traumatized immigrants and refugees: A systematic reviewPositive impactSystematic reviewPositive impact
Feasibility of implementation of a parenting intervention with Karen refugees resettled from Burma.Positive impactSuggestive evidencePositive impact
The utility of the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) for refugee background parentsPositive impactSuggestive evidencePositive impact
Family-based mental health promotion for Somali Bantu and Bhutanese refugees: Feasibility and acceptability trialPositive impactImpact evaluationPositive impact
We left one war and came to another: Resource loss, acculturative stress, and caregiver-child relationships in Somali refugee familiesNo evidence about impactSuggestive evidenceNo evidence about impact
Understanding the role of acculturative stress on refugee youth mental health: A systematic review and ecological approach to assessment and interventionNo evidence about impactSystematic reviewNo evidence about impact
Family efficacy as a protective factor against immigrant adolescent risky behavior: A literature reviewNo evidence about impactSuggestive evidenceNo evidence about impact
A review of the use of trauma systems therapy to treat refugee children, adolescents, and familiesNo evidence about impactSuggestive evidenceNo evidence about impact
Refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants and the experience of parenthood: A synthesis of the qualitative literatureNo evidence about impactSystematic reviewNo evidence about impact
Brief Family Therapy for Refugee ChildrenSuggestiveSuggestive evidencePositive impact

Websites and Databases Population Terms Methodology Terms Target Outcome Terms
EBSCO Host

SAGE Journals

Google Scholar

 

refugee

OR

immigrant

OR

“unaccompanied minor”

OR

asylee

OR

“temporary protected status”

OR

“victims of traffick*”

OR

“traffick* victims”

OR

T-Visa

OR

U-Visa

OR

Cuban

OR

Haitian

OR

Amerasian

 

evaluation

OR

impact

OR

program

OR

intervention

OR

policy

OR

project

OR

train*

OR

therapy

OR

treatment

OR

counseling

OR

workshop

OR

review

OR

meta-analysis

OR

synthesis

“family therapy”

OR

“family counseling”

OR

“family dynamics”

OR

“family relationship”

OR

“family roles”

OR

“marriage counseling”

OR

“couples therapy”

OR

“relationship counseling”

OR

“child parent relationship”