PROJECT SUMMARY
Refugee and immigrant children fleeing violence, war, and/or poverty often experience high levels of stress
and trauma before, during, and after migration, resulting in significant mental health disparities. Refugee and
immigrant youth are faced with additional stressors during resettlement, including poverty, discrimination, and
adjustment to an unfamiliar environment. These resettlement stressors further elevate risk for mental health
difficulties including anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems. Not only are youth faced with these
stressors, but refugee and immigrant families also experience inequity in access to mental health support.
Barriers such as lack of health insurance, culturally appropriate services, costs, fear, and stigma impact
refugee and immigrant service access. Given these inequities, it is critical to provide mental health
interventions that are contextualized to meet the needs of refugee and immigrant youth in accessible settings
that reduce barriers. Integrating services into schools reduces logistical barriers and provides services in a less
stigmatizing environment. Further, interventions designed to foster resilience, strengthen adaptive coping, and
promote school connectedness, have the potential to reduce mental health disparities among refugee and
immigrant youth. The Supporting Transition Resilience Of Newcomer Groups (STRONG) program was
developed to support mental health among newcomer refugee and immigrant students by (1) promoting
positive adjustment during resettlement through a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach, contextualized
to meet the needs of refugee and immigrant youth; and (2) improving access to services through school-based
programming. The aims of the proposed study include: (1) evaluate impact of STRONG on student mental
health via randomized waitlist control design; (2) examine the impact of STRONG on resilience, coping, and
school connectedness and how these changes are related to student mental health outcomes; and (3)
examine implementation of STRONG across schools using qualitative methods (focus groups, interviews).
STRONG will be implemented in six public schools during 2021-2022 academic year and six public schools
during the 2022-2023 academic year. In each school, one group of approximately 5 students will be
implemented. Schools will be randomly assigned to either provide the STRONG program immediately
(immediate treatment) or after 3 months (delayed treatment). School mental health staff (e.g., district-employed
social workers or community clinicians who provide services in schools) will co-facilitate groups in schools,
meeting once a week. The research team, comprised of approximately 10 undergraduate and four graduate
students, will collect data at baseline and then at 3- and 6- months post baseline. The proposed research
enhances understanding of effectiveness of an intervention optimized for refugee and immigrant youth and
promotes equity through accessible services that support mental health of refugee and immigrant youth.
