To Örebro University

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.