Displaying 1 - 10 of 18
Abstract
Objective
This study examined the mental health of Middle Eastern male unaccompanied refugee adolescents in Germany in relation to the mental health of accompanied refugee peers, first- and second-generation immigrant and native peers. In particular, it was investigated whether differences in the mental health of unaccompanied and accompanied refugees and immigrant peers were related to differences in the perception of post-migration stress, and whether this association changed with different acculturation orientations.
Method
In a cross-sectional study, 193 adolescents…
This Independent Expert Report (hereinafter “the report”) is concerned with challenges experienced by Eritrean refugees in Europe in the context of family reunification processes, in particular those relating to strict documentary requirements demanded by some EU Member States, in particular Germany. The report shows that these requirements often hinder the effectiveness of the right to family reunification. Further, those requirements pose unnecessary risks, often placing Eritrean refugees, and their relatives in Eritrea, at serious risk. In presenting its main findings and conclusions, this…
Abstract
Over the past 20 years both Israel and Germany have become destination countries for unaccompanied minors (UM), albeit at different speeds and scales and in contrasting geopolitical settings. This article compares the reception and integration of UM in the two countries with a particular focus on their access to education and employment. The movement of UM over borders goes hand in hand with the drawing of legal, ideological, and conceptual boundaries within these two countries that discriminate between citizens and foreigners. However, the answers provided by the respective…
Abstract
This case study explores the arriving process of an unaccompanied minor refugee in Germany and his perception of the psychosocial support he received. The aim is to elaborate possibilities to support refugee adolescents' arrival processes adequately. Two interviews—theme‐centered and narrative—were conducted and afterwards examined by a group of five researchers who used experts' validation as the analyzing tool. Four main dimensions were identified contributing to the complex dynamics in psychosocial work with unaccompanied minor refugees: (a) the distinct need for self‐…
Abstract: This article analyzes developments in the forms of social work with young refugees and the legal framing of such work in Germany from 1990 to the present. In particular, it addresses the reactions of politicians and the child and youth welfare system to the sharp rise in the number of refugees in 2015 and 2016, and the concomitant significant increase in the number of unaccompanied minor refugees. It underlines the need for an approach based on children’s rights, and the necessity for social workers, especially those involved in helping youth, to resist the policies of deterrence…
Abstract
How do the structure and relational features of family networks affect refugees’ mental health after migration, particularly when refugees are geographically separated from their family? Using the first wave of the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees, which is representative of the population of refugees who arrived in Germany between 2013 and 2016, this study finds that the size of the nuclear family has a significant positive relationship with refugees’ mental health, whereas family separation has a significant negative relationship. In addition to members of the nuclear family,…
Abstract
The article examines from a comparative perspective how Sweden and Germany reacted to the unprecedented increase in unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) in 2015. Concretely, it analyses on the basis of Windrum’s taxonomy of public-sector innovation what kinds of generic and context-specific policy instruments have been developed for this particularly vulnerable group and discusses whether and to what extent prevailing welfare-service organizational arrangements have changed in the two countries since 2015. By illustrating the reactions of two countries, the study shows…
Abstract
This article is written as part of the FORUM project (FOR Unaccompanied Minors: transfer of knowledge for professionals to increase foster care), an EU funded project which sought to enhance the capacity of professionals to provide quality foster care for unaccompanied migrant children, primarily through the transfer of knowledge. The article aims to contribute to this transfer of knowledge by bringing together literature which is of relevance to professionals developing or enhancing foster care services for unaccompanied migrant children (such as social workers), other…
Abstract
Background
Studies throughout Europe have shown that asylum-seeking children and adolescents (ASC) are at risk of developing mental disorders. The most common mental-health problems in ASC include posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), internalizing symptoms such as depression and anxiety, and externalizing behaviour. Being an unaccompanied refugee minor (URM) was found to be highly predictive for higher levels of psychological distress within ASC. Nevertheless, and even though Germany is Europe’s biggest host country for ASC, studies that reliably examine the mental health of…
Abstract
Unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) are the most vulnerable group of refugees suffering from higher levels of mental health problems. Yet, there is also a group of URM with little or no symptoms or disorders. A major predictor for positive mental health outcomes is the social support network in the post-flight period which has rarely been investigated for the group of URM. The present study analyzes differences between perceived social support from family, peers, and adult mentors in URM, with subgroup analyses of peer and mentor support in URM with and without family contact.…