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Are community-based interventions effective at improving mental health outcomes in refugee children and adolescents in high-income countries?

Part of: BJPsych Advances Cochrane Corner and Round the Corner Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2024

Gracy Singh Open the ORCID record for Gracy Singh [Opens in a new window]  and
Aditi Rajgopal Open the ORCID record for Aditi Rajgopal [Opens in a new window]
Gracy Singh*
Affiliation:
Foundation Year 2 doctor with an interest in global mental health, currently working at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospital Trust, Oxford, UK.
Aditi Rajgopal
Affiliation:
Foundation Year 2 doctor with an interest in primary care, currently working at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospital Trust, Oxford, UK.
*
Correspondence Gracy Singh. Email: gracy.singh2@nhs.net
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Summary

Multiple epidemiological studies have shown an increased prevalence of adverse mental health outcomes in refugee populations and have highlighted children and adolescents to be particularly at risk. This commentary considers a Cochrane Review examining the efficacy of community-based interventions at improving the mental health of refugee children and adolescents in high-income countries. The review concludes that community-based interventions are ineffective at improving mental health in such populations. Notably, the data are limited by significant risk of bias and a small sample size. This article aims to critically appraise this systematic review, extrapolate implications for current practice and identify avenues for further research.

Keywords

Refugeemental healthchildren and adolescentscommunity-based interventionshigh-income countries
Type
Round the corner
Information
BJPsych Advances , Volume 30 , Issue 3 , May 2024 , pp. 141 - 146
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal College of Psychiatrists

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