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Individuals from conflict-affected countries, such as Iraq, face formidable challenges when they resettle in the United States. Drawing from intersectionality theory, we explore the lived experiences of adolescent boys and girls from Iraq who have resettled in Texas and Virginia. In this qualitative study, we focus on the school as an institution that is positioned to enforce, or to combat, systemic and interpersonal inequalities among young refugees, especially in terms of gender and race. Our thematic analysis identifies the ways their interactions with teachers, peers, and family in the school context have shaped the socialization of these adolescent boys and girls from Iraq. The study findings reflect the importance of understanding how education settings can affect the intersectional experiences of conflict-affected youth who have resettled in the United States.

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Caregivers in humanitarian settings experience compounding stressors that may challenge their ability to provide quality parenting to children in their care. In recognition of this precarity, our analysis examines the linkage between psychosocial wellbeing and parenting behaviours among caregivers in Kiryandongo Settlement, Uganda. Using baseline data from an evaluation of a psychosocial intervention designed to support caregiver wellbeing and engage caregivers to support children in their communities, multi‐variable ordinary least square regressions were used to estimate how various measures of psychosocial wellbeing (i.e. psychological distress, social support, and functioning) and parenting attitudes (related to violence against children) are associated with parental warmth and rejection. Profound livelihood challenges were found, as nearly half of the sample (48.20%) indicated cash from INGOs as their income source and/or reported never attending school (46.71%). Increased social support (coef. 0.11; 95% CIs: 0.08–0.15) and positive attitudes (coef. 0.21; 95% CIs: 0.14–0.29) were significantly associated with more desirable parental warmth/affection. Similarly, positive attitudes (coef. 0.16; 95% CIs 0.11–0.20), reduced distress (coef. 0.11; 95% CIs: 0.08–0.14) and increased functioning (coef. 0.03; 95% CIs: 0.01–0.04) were significantly associated with more desirable scores of parental undifferentiated rejection. While further research is needed to examine underlining mechanisms and causal pathways, our findings both link individual wellbeing characteristics with parenting behaviours and suggest further exploration into whether and how broader elements of the ecosystem may influence parenting outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Armed conflicts and natural disasters can cause significant psychological and social challenges for affected populations. Displaced populations are extremely heterogeneous in terms of culture, language, and experiences of crises. Current diagnostic criteria is insufficient when evaluating the symptoms and treatment of mental health issues across contexts. Aim: This scoping review presents information about cultural idioms of distress across displaced populations. The review includes aspects of etiology, symptomology, and proposed intervention methods. Methods: I conducted a Boolean search of academic and grey literature for studies that described cultural idioms of distress among displaced populations. Results were analyzed using thematic analysis and grounded theory. Results: A shared sense of injustice, spirit possession, and karma are common etiologies for mental distress among displaced populations. Symptoms include somatic complaints, 'thinking a lot', and interpersonal challenges such as social isolation and a fear of others. Potential interventions are likely on a community-level, including the generation of community mechanisms for conflict-resolution, reconciliation, and culturally grounded healing rituals. Conclusions: It is vital to understand the ways displaced communities conceptualize their mental health in order to develop appropriate culturally grounded interventions. Understanding the etiology, symptoms, and proposed interventions can inform and improve humanitarian aid delivery of mental health and psychosocial support services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To conduct a systematic review to establish what is known about the relationship between depression and self-evaluation in adolescents with a chronic illness. Methods: A systematic search was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, and hand-searching. We sought to identify primary research that examined both the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between depression and self-evaluation in adolescents with chronic illness. The search resulted in 8941 retrieved articles that were screened against an inclusion criteria. A total of 4 papers were included in the review. The MMAT used to assess study methodological quality. Results: A narrative synthesis was conducted, and a summary figure was included. These 4 studies included 236 adolescents aged 9–18 years with depression and either Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), chronic pain, headaches, or Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The limited existing evidence indicated that that depression was associated with negative self-evaluation in adolescents in some but not all chronic illnesses investigated to date. We also found some evidence that psychological intervention can help to improve self-evaluation, specifically in adolescents with T1D. Conclusions: More robust studies of the association between self-evaluation and depression in adolescents with a chronic illness is needed, with attention to the nuances of differences between chronic illnesses. The existing evidence indicates that there may be a stronger association in some chronic illnesses. Pilot data suggest that specific psychological therapies may improve self-evaluation, although much more extensive evaluation is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization have well-established associations with poor mental health. There is also burgeoning evidence regarding the association between IPV perpetration and mental health in a small number of countries. However, there is a paucity of data about the gendered differences for these IPV experiences within sub-Saharan African. This study examines the association between IPV victimization, perpetration, and mental health outcomes for male and female adolescents and young adults in Uganda. Data on IPV perpetration were available for a nationally representative sample of 1,373 males and 2,022 females in Uganda. Observations were weighted to be representative of 13- to 24-year-olds in Uganda. Study procedures used multivariate logistic regression models to examine associations between ever-perpetration of IPV and four self-reported mental health variables: severe sadness, feelings of worthlessness, suicide ideation, and alcohol abuse. Models controlled for age, marital status, schooling, and past exposure to violence. Models were sex-disaggregated to examine sex-specific associations. Standard errors were adjusted for sampling stratification and clustering. Data analysis showed that males were more than twice as likely as females to perpetrate IPV (14% vs. 6%, respectively; p <.001), while odds of perpetration for both sexes were higher for those ever experiencing IPV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 12.12 for males; aOR=4.73 for females). Male perpetrators had 2.93 greater odds of experiencing suicidal ideation (95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.78, 4.82], p <.001) and increased drinking behaviors (2.21, 95% CI: [1.39, 3.50], p <.001) when compared with non-perpetrating males. In addition, female perpetrators had 2.59 times greater odds of suicidal ideation (95% CI: [1.34,4.99], p <.01), as compared with non-perpetrating females. Our findings among youth and adolescents demonstrated associated but different experiences for males and females. Findings indicate the importance of understanding the relationship between IPV victimization and perpetration, and addressing these correlates with a gender-sensitive perspective to inform policy and programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregivers play a critical role in mediating the impacts of forced displacement on children; however, humanitarian programming remains hampered by a lack of evidence-based programming. We present findings from an evaluation of a group-based curriculum delivered over the course of 12 sessions, journey of life (JoL). A waitlist-control quasi-experimental design was implemented in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement (intervention n = 631, control n = 676). Caregiver mental distress, measured using the Kessler-6, was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included (a) functioning, (b) social support and (c) caregiving attitudes and behaviors. Propensity score matching (PSM) and Cohen's d estimates were used to examine the intervention effects. According to our primary PSM analysis, JoL led to significant improvements in mental distress (coef.: 2.33; p  < 0.001), social support (coef.: 1.45; p  < 0.001), functioning (coef.: 2.64; p  < 0.001), parental warmth/affection (coef.: 2.48; p  < 0.001), parental undifferentiated rejection (coef.: 0.49; p  < 0.001) and attitudes around violence against children (VAC) (coef.: 1.98; p  < 0.001). Evidence from Cohen's d analysis underscored the value of the intervention's effect on parental warmth/affection (0.74), mental distress (0.70) and VAC attitudes (0.68). This trial adds to the evidence on holistic parenting programming to improve the mental health and parenting outcomes among refugee caregivers., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Caregivers in humanitarian settings experience compounding stressors that may challenge their ability to provide quality parenting to children in their care. In recognition of this precarity, our analysis examines the linkage between psychosocial wellbeing and parenting behaviours among caregivers in Kiryandongo Settlement, Uganda. Using baseline data from an evaluation of a psychosocial intervention designed to support caregiver wellbeing and engage caregivers to support children in their communities, multi-variable ordinary least square regressions were used to estimate how various measures of psychosocial wellbeing (i.e. psychological distress, social support, and functioning) and parenting attitudes (related to violence against children) are associated with parental warmth and rejection. Profound livelihood challenges were found, as nearly half of the sample (48.20%) indicated cash from INGOs as their income source and/or reported never attending school (46.71%). Increased social support (coef. 0.11; 95% CIs: 0.08-0.15) and positive attitudes (coef. 0.21; 95% CIs: 0.14-0.29) were significantly associated with more desirable parental warmth/affection. Similarly, positive attitudes (coef. 0.16; 95% CIs 0.11-0.20), reduced distress (coef. 0.11; 95% CIs: 0.08-0.14) and increased functioning (coef. 0.03; 95% CIs: 0.01-0.04) were significantly associated with more desirable scores of parental undifferentiated rejection. While further research is needed to examine underlining mechanisms and causal pathways, our findings both link individual wellbeing characteristics with parenting behaviours and suggest further exploration into whether and how broader elements of the ecosystem may influence parenting outcomes., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)