Psychotherapeutic and Psychosocial Interventions with Unaccompanied Minors: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Unaccompanied minors (UAMs) are considered a particularly vulnerable population, facing severe threats regarding their physical and mental health. As their number has increased in recent years worldwide, research on mental health interventions has become necessary. The implementation of psychotherapeutic interventions has been documented, but psychosocial interventions seem to not have been consistently studied. In this review, we summarize the psychotherapeutic and psychosocial interventions with UAMs that have been studied up to now. Following the PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews, we searched four databases and included studies and practice papers; there were no restrictions on publication date, geographical region, language, or method. We identified 46 studies on psychotherapeutic interventions and 16 studies on psychosocial interventions that met the inclusion criteria. Psychotherapeutic interventions were mainly based on cognitive behavioural, psychodynamic, narrative, art and transcultural approaches and aimed at improving UAMs’ trauma, mental health and wellbeing, as well as professionals’ skills and therapeutic protocols. Several studies showed promising results, with the cognitive behavioural approaches being the most researched. However, more research is needed in order to draw conclusions in terms of effectiveness. Psychosocial interventions followed various approaches and aimed at UAMs’ empowerment, wellbeing, support and integration, as well as at improving caregivers’ skills. Nonetheless, they seem not only very heterogeneous but also understudied, and we believe that a focus on them would be very useful. Methodological limitations and their implications for future research are discussed.