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Psychotherapy with refugees in the western world is quite often complicated because many refugees live without a secure residency status. It is difficult to have a structured therapeutic perspective when doing psychotherapy with these patients because of their fears and daily problems. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate psychotherapy results for 190 traumatized refugees (40 per cent without a secure residency).

To measure the outcome of the psychotherapies the paper used HAM-D and CGI at baseline and at the end of the therapeutic process.

The study shows that, although refugees without a legal status had more depressive symptoms and lived with much higher psychosocial stress, psychotherapy was as effective as for traumatized refugees with a legal status.

Heterogeneity, convenience sampling and retrospective completion of some of the baseline assessments.

Psychotherapeutic treatment of refugees has a clear positive effect on them and should be applied even in those without legal residence status in the host country.

This is the first study assessing the effectiveness of daily practice psychotherapy for refugees with and without a legal status in a comparative fashion.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of family functioning in the transgenerational transmission of trauma in a sample of 30 refugee families with traumatized parents and children without a history of direct trauma exposure from the Middle East.

Based on qualitative analyses of interview material, families were evaluated using theoretically derived dimensions of family functioning and placed in descriptive categories according to family cohesion, family flexibility, family roles, family coping, stressor pile-up, and marital problems. The association between these descriptive categories of family functioning and the child’s mental health as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was explored using point-biserial correlations, correlations, and multiple regression analyses.

In all, 22 percent of the variance in children’s SDQ scores could be predicted by whether or not the family experienced a pile-up of stressors and whether or not the family was characterized by role reversal between parents and children. Furthermore, a statically significant association was established between a total measure of adaptive family functioning and lower scores on the SDQ.

These findings suggest that the transgenerational transmission of trauma may be associated with family functioning and have implications for interventions at several levels.

In today’s era, the world faces the largest number of displaced people since the World War II, wherein a massive number of refugees fleeing to various countries has become a new reality. The response by the media and public indicates fear, anxiety, and a lack of trust, which are logical consequences of the current discourse that focuses on blame and anger. This chapter describes theoretical perspectives of trauma on the brain, and shares various restorative approaches emphasizing a compassionate-witnessing model. It discusses the urgent need of creating safe communities for the refugees and suggests restorative practices to facilitate the process. The authors share actual examples from a refugee-hosting camp in a Western European country, and how the integration of restorative practices allows trust and respectful communication to develop and strengthening relationships. This makes it possible to use restorative approaches to respond to conflicts. The chapter recommends how staff, educators, and volunteers could respond with compassion and empathy to traumatized refugees. The suggested restorative processes could be shared with staff and volunteers’ training, higher education faculty in preparing future teachers to work with refugee students, and with teachers who are challenged, working with refugee population.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the defining characteristics of an interdisciplinary culturally sensitive approach to family therapy with traumatized refugee families affected by family violence. Furthermore, the paper aims to explore the mechanisms of change as seen from the perspective of the therapists.

Based on qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with therapists working in an interdisciplinary team as well as observations of treatment conferences, the study identified the ways in which therapists perceive the challenges faced by their patients, the ways in which positive change is facilitated within therapy and the characteristics of a culturally sensitive interdisciplinary approach to family therapy with traumatized refugee families.

The study identified a number of defining characteristics of the treatment model, which includes the interdisciplinary approach, treatment objectives and concrete interventions targeting these objectives.

Through a theoretically informed critical analysis of the data, the present study examined the defining characteristics of the treatment model as well as the mechanisms of change as perceived by the therapists.

Purpose – This chapter discusses the promise of and challenges to providing effective and culturally responsive trauma-focused mental health services to immigrant and refugee youth and their families within school settings.

Design/methodology/approach – This chapter utilizes “practice-based evidence” to outline successes and address the barriers associated with the implementation of school-based, trauma-focused, evidence-based interventions in four immigrant or refugee-dense cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Boston.

Findings – Making cultural adaptations to identified trauma interventions that were consistent with community priorities, cultural norms, and values resulted in more accessible programs and greater engagement in treatment services.

Practical implications – The strategies tested in these real-world settings contribute to the development of culturally competent trauma-informed services for immigrant and refugee youth and their families. Mental health providers and program developers will better understand the need for multilevel engagement strategies and for culturally driven modifications when employing evidence-based programs with immigrant and refugee youth.

Originality/value – This chapter adds to the scarce evidence about useful methods to engage immigrant and refugee youth and families in treatment and to increase the likelihood of positive outcomes.

Unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) are known to be subjected to several potentially traumatic life events, risking more mental health problems than other populations of same age. Evidence concerning the mental health of Eritrean URMs in Ethiopia is scarce. This paper aims to present an estimate of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within this group and describes its associations with traumatic life events and participants’ characteristics.

This cross-sectional quantitative study surveyed a random sample of 384 Eritrean URMs, aged 12–17 years, in the Shimelba refugee camp. The Stressful Life Events (SLE) questionnaire and the Reactions of Adolescents to Traumatic Stress (RATS) questionnaire were used to assess traumatic events and PTSD symptoms, respectively. Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test with the odds-ratio and stepwise regression were used to analyze data.

Large proportions of the URMs had experienced traumatic events including physical abuse (261, 68%), separation from family against will (240, 62.5%), a stressful life event in which they were in danger (198, 51.6%), and important changes in family life (196, 51%). About 38% of the URMs met the criteria for classifying probable PTSD diagnosis, suggesting that they are likely to have PTSD. The odds-ratio statistic revealed that girls and the oldest age group (15–17 years) were at a greater risk for PTSD. The total score on the SLE appeared to be the robust predictor, explaining 28% of the variance in RATS total scores.

Self-report questionnaires used in this study yield less diagnostic information than extensive interviews. Additional information should be collected from the viewpoint of significant adults (caregivers/ teachers). Such information would be crucial in assessing the degree of impairment in daily functioning and the severity of the symptoms.

Awareness of the stressful experiences and the mental health status of the URMs has implications for taking preventive and curative measures to provide a broad range of intervention programs and psychosocial support.

How can schools, specifically school leaders, be an integral part in helping students from refugee backgrounds build resilience in their new settings? The following literature review has been written to give a brief overview of the refugee-resettlement process in US history, how things have developed with the study of posttraumatic stress disorder, and how school leaders can work with students who may have suffered from traumatic experiences. It is concluded with some suggestions for schools and school leaders on how to work with refugee students and their families. With a refugee crisis around the globe, this study is part of a growing body of research regarding the issue of refugee resettlement; specifically, how school leaders can be involved in the resettlement process of refugee students. Continued research is needed that will continue to build on the current body of knowledge around this vital issue affecting so many today.

Thousands of Eritrean youth flee due to extreme domestic discontent with Eritrean Government. Little research has been done on Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia. The purpose of this paper is to explore the difficulties facing Eritrean refugees in the Shimelba Refugee Camp in northern Ethiopia. The study explores the refugees’ pre-migration experiences as well as their life difficulties in the refugee camp.

This study employed a cross-sectional qualitative approach. Relevant data were collected through personal interviews with a sample of 15 refugees. The study was also supplemented by the researcher’s personal observations regarding the living conditions of the refugees in the camp.

Gross human rights violations at home forced the Eritreans to flee in to Ethiopia. Refugees reported their experiences of arrest, torture, and abuse, due to their dissenting political and religious opinions. Moreover, they fled Eritrea to escape harsh compulsory conscription into the Eritrean military service. Unemployment and lack of income were also important push factors. Factors identified as threats to the psychosocial health of refugees at the refugee camp include the feeling of isolation, the absolute uncertainty of the future, fears concerning the safety of the family left behind, the strictness of the structure within the camp, and the fear of health-related problems associated with the limited health care facilities.

Further research investigating the mental health problems of the refugees employing quantitative methods is needed. Also, research about the potential avenues for ameliorating the challenges faced by these refugees is desirable.

This paper gives an insight to the situation of Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia, which includes the reasons why they flee Eritrea, their experiences during flight, and the conditions in which Eritrean refugees live in the camp from the point of view of the refugees themselves. Understanding the challenges facing the refugees has implications for how short- and long-term policies can be altered to better serve them.