Title:
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Can groups help refugee children with PTSD syndrome? : investigating the pragmatics, effectiveness and participant engagement in psycho-social-educational groups
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There is an increasing consensus about the potential impact of trauma on children and the need for more research into effective treatments. Refugee children are more likely to have experienced traumatic events yet are often under-represented in clinic populations and in the research literature, which remains small, recent and largely based in America. This review highlights what is known about treating PTSD in refugee children by considering general models of PTSD, ways these models have been adapted to children and some of the specific therapeutic needs of refugee children. It reviews treatment outcome studies with particular emphasis on group treatments and the two published treatment studies involving refugee children and suggests that psychosocial interventions warrant further use and evaluation. The challenge of facilitating access to services and considering factors that may moderate effectiveness of treatment (eg: avoidant coping style) are discussed.
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