Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: Prevalence, Contributing and Protective Factors, and Effective Interventions: A Scoping Review

The objective was to review the current literature regarding PTSD in unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) from 1 January 2008 through 15 January 2019. Thirty full texts were chosen that specifically studied unaccompanied refugee minors (URM). The results showed that the prevalence of PTSD among URM ranged from 17% to 85% with a mean prevalence rate of 46%. In addition to PTSD, there are other significant mental health problems that are associated with being an URM, such as anxiety and depression associated with internalizing and externalizing behaviors.There were numerous factors that contributed to PTSD, including cumulative stress and trauma, guilt, shame, and uncertainty about legal status. The most significant protective factor was the levels of resilience in both pre-migratory and peri-migratory experiences. Protective factors included resilience, a trusted mentor, belonging to a social network, religion, having an adult mentor, and having a family (even if far away). Immigrant youth can thrive most easily in multiculturally affirming countries. Five interventions demonstrated effectiveness, comprising trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT); “Mein Weg”, a TF-CBT combined with a group-processing mixed therapy approach; teaching recovery techniques (TRT), narrative exposure therapy for children (KIDNET), and expressive arts intervention (EXIT).