Multicomponent Intervention Associated with Improved Emotional and Cognitive Outcomes of Marginalized Unemployed Youth of Latin America

Cristina Crespo-Andrade, Ana Francisca Trueba, María Sol Garcés and Graham Pluck
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Cristina Crespo-Andrade: Colegio de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
Ana Francisca Trueba: Colegio de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
María Sol Garcés: Colegio de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
Graham Pluck: Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador

Social Sciences, 2022, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: Mass migration and people seeking political refuge are critical social issues facing Latin America. Ecuador has the largest population of recognized refugees in the region. Youths from a migration background have an increased risk of becoming NEET (Young people not in employment, education, or training). Such youths struggle more with mental health problems than non-NEET peers. Being a refugee, NEET further increases the risk of having mental health problems and may be linked to lower cognitive functioning, which could maintain exclusion and unemployment. This intervention study was performed with a group of young people of different nationalities who were refugees or belonged to other vulnerable groups attending a six-week employability-support intervention in Ecuador. In order to assess the impact of the intervention, a range of measures of executive cognitive function, mental health, and the potential for positive change were used. We found that post-intervention, the group reported significantly less psychological distress and better self-esteem, self-efficacy, and cognitive response inhibition than before the intervention. We conclude that multicomponent interventions may effectively improve the psychological functioning of vulnerable NEET groups in the Latin American context.

Keywords: NEETS; refugees; mental health; emotion regulation; self-efficacy; cognitive abilities; executive function; employability support; intervention; Latin America (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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