Understanding Behaviour and Mental Health for Children with Refugee Backgrounds

Abstract

Despite there being an ample amount of evidence indicating the high prevalence of mental health disorders for people with refugee backgrounds, there remains scarce research addressing the relationship between mental health and behaviour for refugee children– resulting in a lack of culturally appropriate measurement tools for assessment and a coherent model to inform the development of interventions. This study aimed to address this paucity of research and gain insight, from the perspective of service providers, into understanding behaviour for children with refugee backgrounds, including the relationship with mental health, and barriers and facilitators for supporting refugee children. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with nine individuals who had experience working with refugee children. Thematic analysis of the qualitative interview data highlighted the impact of trauma, as well as environmental, social, and cultural factors on behaviour for children with refugee backgrounds. Furthermore, the importance of community involvement and cultural responsiveness, patience, and building trust can be seen as facilitators for supporting positive behaviour for children with refugee backgrounds. These findings could potentially inform the development of a coherent model of behaviour and mental health and contribute to the development of future interventions and services for children with refugee backgrounds.