Research shows that when people fleeing violence and persecution resettle in a new country as refugees, the toll of the trauma they’ve been through can haunt them for a long time. Children are especially vulnerable. The toxic mix of past traumas and the stresses of resettlement puts such kids at a significantly higher risk of long term mental health challenges, researchers say.
“We know from years of research that children exposed to violence, separation and loss due to armed conflict and forced migration have elevated risks for problems with depression, anxiety, traumatic stress reactions,” says Theresa Betancourt, director of the research program on children and adversity at Boston College.
Studies have shown that rates of depression among refugee and asylum-seeking children range from 10% to 33%. and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rates range from 19% to 53%. Anxiety disorders are also prevalent with rates ranging from 9% to 32%.
Parents or primary caregivers can buffer against these long-term mental health consequences, but refugee parents are often struggling with their own mental health and hesitant to seek care, says Betancourt.
That’s why Betancourt and her colleagues launched an effort to support refugee parents and children in the United States, as a way to prevent long term mental health and behavioral problems. It’s an effort run jointly by Boston College and the local non-profit Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services in the Lewiston-Auburn area.
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