Schools’ and teachers’ roles and challenges in supporting the mental wellbeing of refugee youths: a qualitative study with Swedish teachers

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being

Serena McDiarmid¹  Natalie Durbeej²  Fatumo Osman²  Anna Sarkadi² 

[1] University of Waterloo;Uppsala University;

关键词: mental wellbeing;    refugee youths;    teachers;    schools;    thematic analysis;   

DOI  :  10.1080/17482631.2021.2007568

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Purpose Resettled refugee youths are increasingly entering host-country school systems and are at risk of poor mental wellbeing. Schools and teachers are often expected to provide psychosocial support to youths with refugee backgrounds, but the teachers’ views on this expectation are poorly understood. We investigated the question: What do Swedish teachers believe is the role of (1) schools and (2) teachers in supporting refugee youths’ mental wellbeing? Method Four semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 30 Swedish educators from five schools. Interview transcripts were analysed and themes reflecting the key concepts were constructed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Seven themes were constructed. Three addressed the role of schools in supporting refugee youths’ mental wellbeing: Promoting Belonging, Offering Refuge, and Instilling Civic Literacy. Four addressed the role of teachers: Building Relationships with Students, Maintaining a Non-therapeutic Relationship, Connecting to Professionals, and Instructing in the Classroom. Conclusion Teachers believe that both schools and teachers play an important role in supporting refugee youths’ mental wellbeing and each contributes in unique ways. However, schools and teachers are not always successful in supporting refugee youth and teachers reported facing challenges such as unclear roles and a lack of resources.

【 授权许可】

Unknown