Supporting refugee and migrant children’s mental health through fostering family-school interactions in school-based psychosocial intervention: Towards a grounded theory model on school-based collaborative mental health care

European host societies face the challenge of adequately supporting young refugees and migrants at-risk of developing mental health difficulties. Reflecting on what constitutes adequate support, scholars increasingly point to the potential of school-based psychosocial interventions. To date, however, empirical evidence on these interventions remains scarce. Rooted in my doctoral study’s findings, this research proposal seeks to contribute to the evidence-base by generating an in-depth understanding of school-based psychosocial interventions’ potential to foster positive family-school interactions that shape young refugees’ and migrants’ well-being and mental health. I aim at developing: (i) an in-depth understanding of school actors’ and refugee and migrant parents’ perspectives on family-school interactions and their role in shaping young refugees’ and migrants’ well-being; (ii) a grounded theory model on school-based collaborative mental health care, as an intervention that engages with family-school interactions in supporting refugee and migrant children's mental health.

Keywords:Refugee children, Migrant children, School-based psychosocial intervention, Family-school interaction, Collaborative mental health care

Disciplines:Counselling psychology