Alone, but protected? Effects of social support on mental health of unaccompanied refugee minors.

Unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) are the most vulnerable group of refugees suffering from higher levels of mental health problems. Yet, there is also a group of URM with little or no symptoms or disorders. A major predictor for positive mental health outcomes is the social support network in the post-flight period which has rarely been investigated for the group of URM.

[Mental Health Problems of Unaccompanied Young Refugees in Youth Welfare Institutions].

Objective: Within the present study we investigated prevalence rates of psychological symptoms in underage and full-age unaccompanied refugees in youth welfare institutions.

Methods: Sociodemographic characteristics and mental health problems in the areas of emotion and behavior were assessed using screening data from both self-reports and caregiver reports of 105 youths.

Results: Symptoms of depression (42 %), behavior (35 %) and posttraumatic stress (32 %) were most frequently reported.