A Services Approach to Preventive Mental Health for Adolescent Refugees

描述（由申请人提供）：对难民青少年的研究表明，精神疾病和其他负面行为结果的发病率升高。较少考虑的是，重新安置的情况可能非常适合青少年中的精神障碍预防服务，因为他们的家庭和社会环境中有保护资源。这项对高危难民青少年的五年期研究利用人种学来发展有关家庭和生态资源的背景知识，以防止心理健康问题，并利用这些知识来制定适合不同文化和不同服务环境的预防干预措施。它以家庭生态发展理论、复原力、创伤和移徙理论以及服务方法为指导。本研究的具体目的是：1）随着时间的推移，审查来自两个文化群体的处于危险中的难民青少年的经历，以便确定预防服务可能加强的家庭和生态保护资源的特点; 2）利用家庭和生态保护资源的背景知识，制定预防性干预措施，这是一个专门针对不同文化背景和服务环境的风险难民青少年的项目。本研究的第一个目的是通过一个多地点，跨文化，前瞻性人种学研究。样本是80个有风险的难民青少年（12至17岁），他们的家人，和服务提供者从两个不同的难民人口，在过去两年抵达。调查员将对下列人员进行后续访谈和跟踪实地观察：（1）40名利比里亚人;（2）40名索马里班图人。研究的第二个具体目标是通过以下方式实现的：1）设计一种可能有效和可推广的预防干预措施; 2）通过重点小组审查预防干预措施的可接受性和可行性; 3）对预防干预措施的可接受性和可行性进行试点测试。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Studies of refugee adolescents have demonstrated elevated rates of mental illness and other negative behavioral outcomes. Less often considered is that the circumstances of resettlement may be well suited for mental disorder prevention services amongst adolescents given the protective resources that lie in their family and social environments. This five-year study of at-risk refugee adolescents uses ethnography to develop contextual knowledge on family and ecological resources that protect against mental health problems, and uses that knowledge to develop a prevention intervention which is adaptable for different cultures and different service settings. It is guided by family-ecodevelopmental theory, theories of resilience, trauma, and migration, and a services approach. The specific aims of this study are: 1) To examine over time the experiences of at-risk refugee adolescents from two cultural groups, so as to characterize the family and ecological protective resources that may be enhanced by preventive services; 2) To use the contextual knowledge of family and ecological protective resources to develop a preventive intervention for at-risk refugee adolescents that is tailored to fit different cultural contexts and service settings. The first aim of this research is addressed through a multi-site, cross-cultural, prospective ethnographic study. The sample is 80 at-risk refugee adolescents (ages 12 to 17), their families, and service providers from two distinct refugee populations that arrived within the past two years. The investigators will conduct follow-along interviews and shadowing field observations with: 1) 40 Liberians; 2) 40 Somali Bantus. The second specific aim of the study is addressed through: 1) Designing a potentially effective and generalizable prevention intervention; 2) Examining through focus groups the acceptability and feasibility of the preventive intervention; 3) Pilot testing the acceptability and feasibility of the preventive intervention.