A Pilot Study Evaluating a School-Based, Trauma-Focused Intervention for Immigrant and Refugee Youth

Abstract

Immigrant and refugee children often experience stressful or traumatic events that greatly impact their ability to function in school. The dysregulatory and somatic symptoms of trauma such as hyper-arousal and dissociation as well as co-morbid anxiety and depression can have a profound impact on academic and social functioning. Addressing these symptoms requires approaches that help children develop the ability to calm their bodies and achieve a state of emotional regulation and brain-body integration. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of a school-based somatic soothing intervention designed to help children manage dissociative and dysregulatory symptoms. A convenience sample of 34 mostly refugee and immigrant youth who struggled with these symptoms were recruited for this study. The children were between the ages of 6 and 11 and reported experiencing war, interpersonal violence and neglect as well as stressors associated with migration, displacement, and resettlement. Participants in this study scored highly on baseline measures for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety indicating a high amount of comorbid psychiatric symptomology. Participants reported statistically significant improvement in anxiety, depression, psychological functioning, and trauma symptomology post-intervention with medium to large effect sizes ranging from .46 to 1.08. Qualitative results from teacher reports indicated strides in confidence, communication, academic functioning and social interaction for most participants. The positive associational findings suggest that this intervention may hold promise and warrants further investigation using more rigorous designs.