Migrant children face challenges accessing school-based mental health services

School-based mental health support should be more accessible for migrant children, a new study says.

Schools are increasingly considered to be critical places for identifying and supporting mental health difficulties, but little is known about the barriers migrants face in accessing mental health support in schools.

Researchers found a lack of targeted school-based mental health interventions designed specifically for young migrants that cater to their unique strengths, resilience and needs.

The review of 38 studies shows that stigma around mental health and stressors associated with migration were among the most identified barriers to access.

It highlighted the need to establish stronger collaboration between migrant families, schools, and mental health services.

Including young people’s voices in decision-making about school-based mental health support may also increase the acceptability of interventions, which in turn improves accessibility.

The study, by Katie Howard, Darren Moore and Eleni Dimitrellou from the University of Exeter, Lenka Janik Blaskova, from Comenius University in Bratislava, and James Howard, a psychiatrist based at Livewell Southwest, is published in the Journal of School Psychology.

We found several strategies can be employed to make interventions more culturally sensitive and accessible. This includes the use of “cultural brokers” – people who can be there to cater mental health interventions to children’s specific cultural, ethnic, or linguistic backgrounds.

Similarly, providing students with access to support in their home languages was also recommended where possible. However, such adaptations can pose challenges for mental health support teams in schools as different approaches and resources are needed for different migrant groups. As a result, providing more targeted and tailored support may mean that fewer young people can be served.

Barriers to accessing support often go beyond logistical obstacles and instead involve some of the stressors related to moving to, and settling in, a new country. For this reason, establishing strong partnerships between schools, mental health services, and families emerged as a fundamental way to improve access to appropriate support.”

Dr. Katie Howard, University of Exeter

The study says more attention should be paid to understanding and overcoming the systemic, social, and contextual barriers to accessing mental health services for migrant children.