To Örebro University

In 2022, one in 20 minors in Sweden had a refugee background. As most refugees do not return to their countries of origin, understanding successful resettlement should be prioritised. Acculturation and psychological resilience are useful concepts, as both acknowledge the interplay between individual and contextual factors in sociocultural adjustment. However, less is known about the role of resilience in the selection and maintenance of acculturation strategies, especially among refugee youth. This qualitative interview study aimed to investigate how acculturation strategies may be shaped by risks and resources using a soci-oecological resilience framework. The narratives of 22 refugee youth in Sweden were explored using reflexive thematic analysis. Deductive coding, informed by an established socioecological model of immigrant youth adaptation, examined the interplay between individual acculturation motivations and contextual factors. The analysis resulted in six themes: (1) war, peace, and opportunities (global forces); (2) (dis)orientation and comparisons (socio-political context); (3) aiming for integration (individual/motivation to acculturate); (4) learning to belong (microsystem—school); (5) inclusion and exclusion (microsystem—friends); (6) support, conflict, and accord (microsystem—family). The analysis highlights how resilience resources may enable maintenance, while frustration and discrimination can pose a risk to the maintenance of a preferred integration strategy.

There are over 40 million displaced children and youth worldwide and there is a need promote their mental wellbeing. This study aimed to synthesize evidence regarding promotion interventions to increase wellbeing, resilience, and quality of life (primary outcomes), and prevention interventions to reduce internalizing and externalizing symptoms (secondary outcomes) in this population. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022329978). Medline, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched. Inclusion criteria were: ≥ 10 participants, sample ≤ 18 years of age, no parental participation, explicated forced migrant populations, implementation in non-clinical context, and validated measures. Fifteen studies (N interventions = 18, N participants = 5741) were eligible. Two studies included outcomes related to wellbeing and quality of life. The remaining studies reported depression, PTSD, anxiety, internalizing and externalizing behaviours, and behavioural and emotional problems. There was only sufficient data to perform random-effects meta-analysis of depression scores. No significant effects were observed in comparison to control condition in randomized trials (n = 4994, k = 5) but a small significant positive trend was observed in within-group analyses (n = 537, k = 12). Cochrane's risk of bias tools and the GRADE certainty of evidence tool were applied. No studies achieved low risk of bias and certainty of evidence was very low. In sum, there remains a dearth of rigorous intervention studies investigating the effects of promotive and preventative psychological interventions on the wellbeing, resilience, and quality of life of forcibly displaced minors. However, the few eligible studies in this review indicate promise.

Background: Middle Eastern and African (MENA) born youth living in Sweden are motivated to integrate but face considerable challenges in their integration processes. Participatory development and implementation of evidence-based interventions to promote sociocultural integration and psychological wellbeing may be a route to addressing social and health equity for these youth.

Aim: This pre-study aims to identify acceptable intervention components, and to assess theoretical support for how the components may promote MENA youth’s sociocultural integration and psychological wellbeing.

Method: We will use a three phase Delphi design to investigate convergence in the perceptions of MENA youth, and youth workers. Participants will be 55 MENA born youth aged 15-18, and 55 youth workers. Participants’ suggestions for suitable and effective activities will be garnered in phase one. Common activity themes will be identified through a content analysis and paired with quantitative scales, forming the basis of subsequent data collections. The second and third data collection phases will comprise participants’ quantitative evaluations of suitability and function of the activities. Activities supported by >70% of both groups will undergo deductive thematic analysis to assess consistency with current theories of sociocultural integration and promotion of psychological wellbeing.

Results: The project addresses several current research gaps regarding MENA youths’ integration and wellbeing needs by moving beyond resilience frameworks towards empowerment of MENA youth in the formation and maintenance of their own integration goals through; i) participative exploration of youths’ own identified context specific needs; ii) exploration of youth workers’ perspectives on youth’s needs; iii) convergence in youths’ and adults’ perceptions of youths’ needs, and iv) assessment of external validity of current theories of youth integration and psychosocial wellbeing.

Implications: The results are expected to guide future participatory action research and policy regarding the development and implementation of evidence based and acceptable interventions promoting sociocultural integration and wellbeing among MENA youth in Sweden. Participatory research processes ensure that future interventions developed from this study are directly informed by the lived experiences of MENA youth and youth workers, increasing relevance, culturally appropriateness, and the likelihood of implementation fidelity, adherence, and acceptance.

Each year, millions of people worldwide are forced to leave their homes. Many of those affected are families. There are already a considerable number of initiatives designed to support refugees who are resettling in new countries and cultures. However, few are promotive interventions aiming to support parents and thereby their children through the extraordinary challenges they face. To develop a culturally adaptive intervention, more knowledge about how refugee parents from different countries perceive and handle these challenges is needed. This study explores refugee parents’ own perspectives on the obstacles, challenges and opportunities they faced during their first years in Sweden to guide the future development of promotive interventions for refugee parents. Interviews were conducted with Arabic, Kurdish, and Somali-speaking refugee parents (n = 28; 19 mothers, 9 fathers). The interviews were examined using content analysis. One overarching theme emerged; “The new language is the key for entering social networks and society, and for helping your child in a new country”. The new language was viewed as a key to integration, and to mastering parenthood in the new context. This theme consisted of four categories; “parents’ motivation and hope as driving forces,” “navigating among past and present culture and values”, “loneliness as a risk factor” and “a new way of being a parent and relating to an acculturation gap”. These findings may help guide the development of parenting interventions for refugees, to promote integration and well-being among parents and their children.

Background: Adults with autism spectrum disorder face several barriers to accessing evidence-based care, including difficulties in communicating needs, social anxiety or in traveling to a health care unit. In recent years, several forms of internet-based treatments have shown to be effective for a variety of psychiatric conditions. Internet-based treatment alternatives allow convenient and flexible formats, and therefore have the potential to increase access to health care for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. However, knowledge about how internet-based treatment features may suit the needs of individuals with autism is limited. The aim of this study was to explore the participant experiences of an internet-based intervention for adults with autism spectrum disorder. The primary focus of the investigation was on autism-specific needs in relation to the features unique to the online format.

Methods: In this qualitative study, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 14 participants who had completed a text-based internet-based intervention for adults with autism spectrum disorder. We used an inductive approach and analyzed the data using qualitative content analysis.

Results: Five main categories were identified: (1) implications of the online format, (2) the fixed non-individualized model, (3) therapist interaction, (4) interacting with other participants, and (5) making use of the treatment content. Overall, participants appreciated the availability and that they could work on their treatment independent of time or location. Among those participating in group-based chat-sessions with the other participants, it was considered a generally positive experience. Furthermore, most participants felt safe and relaxed in relation to the therapist and appreciated the text-based format. However, several participants felt that the format and content of the treatment was not sufficiently adapted to their individual life situation.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this internet-based treatment constitutes an accessible and energy-saving treatment alternative for adults with autism. Further, integrating group-based components seems feasible in an otherwise individual internet-based treatment for individuals with autism. However, group-based components do require a clear purpose and rationale. Future studies should develop and evaluate treatment adaptations tailored to individual needs.

There are currently around 13 million refugees worldwide under the age of 18. In the past decade, over half a million people have sought asylum in Sweden, and around 1% of the population consists of youth who were granted asylum as minors during this time. It is thought that around one in five refugee youth globally suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, one in six from depression and one in seven from anxiety disorders. Alt-hough most studies have focused on psychological suffering and mental health problems related to forced migration, a growing number have high-lighted the enormous strengths and resilience among this group. These characteristics are likely to mitigate some negative experiences during the resettlement process, enabling youths’ adjustment in the host soci-ety. This study therefore aimed to examine the individual strengths and resources of newly arrived refugee youth living in Sweden. Semi-struc-tured interviews were conducted with 29 Somali, Arabic and Kurdish speaking refugee youth (13-17 years, 13 female) who had been residing in Sweden for a maximum of 6 years. Preliminary analyses of interviews with Somali youth revealed two overarching themes: perseverance in dealing with the language barrier, and an unwavering dedication to edu-cation. Resources in the youth’s narratives include strong family and cultural connections and experiencing a benevolent host society. Per-sonal strengths include cognitive flexibility, assertiveness, and taking responsibility. Continued analysis will provide further insight into varia-tions based on culture and gender. The findings may have practical im-plications for building interventions to promote resilience among refugee youth.

Youth of immigrant background are at risk of experiencing victimization due to their ethnic or cultural background. However, limited knowledge is available regarding why youth victimize their immigrant peers, and whether the factors associated with engagement in ethnic victimization vary across adolescents of different background. To address this gap in knowledge, the present study aimed to elucidate the common or differential factors associated with engagement in ethnic victimization among immigrant and native youth. The analytical sample included seventh grade students residing in Sweden from 55 classrooms (N = 963, M_age = 13.11, SD = 0.41; 46% girls; 38% youth of immigrant background). The results showed that being morally disengaged and engaging in general victimization are the common denominators of engagement in ethnic victimization for immigrant and Swedish youth. Low levels of positive attitudes toward immigrants provide a foundation for ethnic victimization among Swedish youth, but not youth of immigrant background. Classroom ethnic composition was not significantly related to engagement in ethnic victimization in either group. Predictors of engagement in ethnic victimization seem to have similarities and differences among immigrant and Swedish youth. The factors involved require further attention in developing strategies to combat bias-based hostile behaviors in diverse school settings.