Psychosocial interventions in schools with newcomers: A structured conceptualization of system, design, and individual needs

Claire V. Crooks, Alexandra C.G. Smith, Natasha Robinson-Link, Shawn Orenstein and Sharon Hoover

Children and Youth Services Review, 2020, vol. 112, issue C

Abstract: Canada has recently welcomed an influx of refugees, many of whom experienced significant trauma and adversity before coming to Canada or during migration. Thousands of newcomer children and youth are now in Canadian schools, and many continue to struggle with symptoms of distress and trauma. During the spring of 2018, a pilot was conducted in two large Ontario school districts to evaluate the feasibility of a new 10-week manualized intervention (Supporting Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups [STRONG]) developed to promote resilience and reduce distress among young newcomers. In the current study, stakeholders involved in the pilot (i.e., mental health clinicians, mental health leaders, developers of the STRONG program, and the evaluation team) participated in an online Group Concept Mapping (GCM) activity to document the groups' collective wisdom about developing and implementing appropriate programming for newcomer children and youth. Twenty-three stakeholders generated a list of considerations related to designing, implementing, and facilitating programs to promote resilience among newcomer children and youth, producing a total of 71 statements. Eighteen stakeholders then sorted the list of statements into meaningful categories. Through multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis we identified five clusters of important considerations: (1) engage family and community; (2) take a whole school approach; (3) attend to group composition and setting; (4) make material accessible and age-appropriate; and, (5) address unique clinical issues. Theoretically, these clusters highlight the importance of considering individual needs, system considerations, and design considerations. Attention to these concepts will specifically help inform future iterations of the STRONG intervention. More broadly, these results identify important factors to consider for addressing the needs of newcomer children and youth in school settings.

Keywords: Program development; Refugees; Resilience; Group concept mapping; Implementation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:112:y:2020:i:c:s0190740919312204

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104894

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