The DOI matches its Crossref record; 80 of the 83 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Psychological Distress in Refugee Children: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Nearly one-quarter of the refugees worldwide are children. There have been numerous studies reporting their levels of psychological distress. The aim of this paper is to review systematically and synthesize the epidemiological research concerning the mental health of refugee children residing in Western countries. A Cochrane Collaboration style review was conducted searching nine major databases, bibliographies, and grey literature from 2003 to 2008. Included studies had to meet the reporting standards of STROBE and investigate mental health in non-clinical samples of asylum seeking and refugee children residing in OECD countries. A total of twenty-two studies were identified of 4,807 retrieved citations, covering 3,003 children from over 40 countries. Studies varied in definition and measurement of problems, which included levels of post-traumatic stress disorder from 19 to 54%, depression from 3 to 30%, and varying degrees of emotional and behavioral problems. Significant factors influencing levels of distress appear to include demographic variables, cumulative traumatic pre-migration experiences, and post-migration stressors. Importantly, the research base demands greater contextual and methodological refining such that future research would have greater generalizability and clinical implications.
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In the citing paper
“Previous research has documented increased post-traumatic stress and depression levels among refugee youth (Bronstein and Montgomery, 2011).”
From Investigating the potential of a novel internet-based cognitive behavioural intervention for Dari and Farsi speaking refugee youth: A feasibility study (2022) · cites this paper as Bronstein and Montgomery, 2011
In the citing paper
“The decision to investigate an individually tailored intervention potentially addresses the high comorbidity among refugee youth (Bronstein and Montgomery, 2011; Păsărelu et al., 2017).”
From Investigating the potential of a novel internet-based cognitive behavioural intervention for Dari and Farsi speaking refugee youth: A feasibility study (2022) · cites this paper as Bronstein and Montgomery, 2011
In the citing paper
“More than half of refugees are children who are at increased risk for the development of mental disorders (Bronstein & Montgomery, 2011; Charlson et al., 2019).”
From Feasibility trial of a scalable transdiagnostic group psychological intervention for Syrians residing in a refugee camp (2021) · cites this paper as Bronstein & Montgomery, 2011
In the citing paper
“and thus female gender may be a risk factor for the development of PTSD and depression [4].”
From Examining cognitive behavioral therapy interventions for unaccompanied minors: a systematic review and qualitative research synthesis. (2025) · cites this paper as [4]
In the citing paper
“Many reports indicate that refugee youth experience high rates of psychological distress [14–16].”
From Effectiveness of a brief group behavioral intervention for common mental disorders in Syrian refugees in Jordan: a randomized controlled trial (2022) · cites this paper as [14]
Citations
Cites
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von Elm, E., Altman, D. G., Egger, M., Pocock, S. J., Gøtzsche, P. C., & Vandenbroucke, J. P. (2007) · Epidemiology · doi:10.1097/ede.0b013e3181577654 · Cited by 1,991
Porter, M., & Haslam, N. (2005) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.294.5.602 · Cited by 1,793
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Epidemiology of Psychological Distress
Drapeau, A., Marchand, A., & Beaulieu‐Prévost, D. (2012) · InTech eBooks · doi:10.5772/30872 · Cited by 612
“Bronstein and Montgomery conducted a systematic review of the literature related to the epidemiology of psychological distress in refugee children based on 22 studies (Bronstein and Montgomery 2011).”
Turrini, G., Purgato, M., Ballette, F., Nosè, M., Ostuzzi, G., & Barbui, C. (2017) · International Journal of Mental Health Systems · doi:10.1186/s13033-017-0156-0 · Cited by 412
“Bronstein I, Montgomery P. Psychological distress in refugee children: a systematic review.”
BackgroundInfluentialPerfect, M. M., Turley, M. R., Carlson, J. S., Yohanna, J., & Saint Gilles, M. P. (2016) · School Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s12310-016-9175-2 · Cited by 382
Ali, G.-C., Ryan, G., & De Silva, M. J. (2016) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0156939 · Cited by 358
“Co-morbidity with other health problems is high and worsens prognosis [4–6], and prevalence of CMDs is higher in low-income groups [7], ethnic minorities [8] and migrant populations [9, 10].”
BackgroundKien, C., Sommer, I., Faustmann, A., Gibson, L., Schneider, M., Krczal, E., Jank, R., Klerings, I., Szeląg, M., Kerschner, B., et al. (2018) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-018-1215-z · Cited by 333
Metadata
- Authors
- Bronstein, I., & Montgomery, P.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Bronstein, Israel
- Venue
- Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review
- Published
- 2011-03
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 44-56
- ISSN
- 1096-4037 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-2827
- OpenAlex
- W2099969597
- Cited by
- 634
- References
- 83
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 60 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 65 · 2020: 128 · 2019: 50 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 1.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Migration, Health and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration and Exile Studies
- Social Sciences › Education › Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees
- Keywords
- refugee children, psychological distress, mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, emotional and behavioral problems, asylum seekers, pre-migration trauma, post-migration stressors, Western countries
- MeSH terms
- Age Factors, Child, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Refugees, Sex Factors, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Stress, Psychological, Resilience, Psychological
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