Peer-reviewed article
Psychosocial interventions for adolescents in forced migration: A scoping review protocol.
Onietan D, Harri BI, Sodunke T, Anjorin O, Seedu T et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a protocol for a scoping review that will systematically map existing research on psychosocial interventions for adolescents aged 10-19 years who are forcibly displaced (refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons). Adolescents make up 40% of forcibly displaced people globally and face significant mental health challenges. The review will search published studies from 2000 onwards across high-income and low- and middle-income countries to identify what interventions exist, how they are implemented, and what outcomes they achieve. The findings will guide policy and practice for supporting the mental health of displaced adolescents.
Key points
- Adolescents account for 40% of forcibly displaced people worldwide
- Adolescents in forced migration are often the most vulnerable to mental health challenges
- There is a significant gap in the application of psychosocial interventions for adolescents in forced migration contexts
- The review will include studies using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods approaches published from 2000 to present
- The review will identify psychosocial intervention concepts, implementation factors, and outcomes
Limitations
This is a protocol document, not a completed review, so it contains no empirical findings about what interventions work or what outcomes have been achieved. The review will be limited to studies published in English and those that meet specific inclusion criteria.
Abstract
Background Adolescents account for 40% of forcibly displaced people worldwide and are often the most vulnerable to mental health challenges. Although psychosocial interventions are becoming popular, there remains a significant gap in the application of psychosocial interventions for adolescents in forced migration context. Mapping the existing literature is necessary to help guide the use of psychosocial interventions for this population. Objective To systematically map and synthesise the scope of existing literature related to psychosocial interventions for adolescents in forced migration situations. This review will inform the policy and practice. Inclusion criteria This review will include empirical studies using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods approaches. The review will include any study where adolescents aged 10-19 years in forced migration settings receive psychosocial intervention with the purpose of improving psychological well-being, mental health, or psychosocial functioning. The study population will include adolescent refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, and other adolescents who have been compelled to leave their homes due to conflict, persecution, natural disasters, or other threats to safety and security. Studies will include both high-income and low- and middle-income countries. Only studies published from 2000 to the present will be included in the review. Method The review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. It will include a comprehensive search of published studies in databases and grey literature. Two independent reviewers will evaluate all abstracts and full articles that are written in English. We will identify concepts from psychosocial interventions, categorise accepted studies according to characteristics, describe implementation factors, and report outcomes of selected studies. Scoping review registration This study protocol is registered with Open Science Framework (OSF) with DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/ADF92.