Praxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie
Volume 68, Issue 6, 2019, Pages 488-502

Quality of life and behavioral problems of unaccompanied minor refugees in child care facilities [Lebensqualität und verhaltensauffälligkeiten bei unbegleiteten minderjährigen flüchtlingen in einrichtungen der jugendhilfe] (Article)

Rau T.* , Ohlert J. , Ramsthaler H. , Fegert J.M. , Kel F.
  • a Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Klinik für Kinder-und Jugendpsychiatrie/Psychotherapie, Germany
  • b Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Klinik für Kinder-und Jugendpsychiatrie/Psychotherapie, Germany, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln, Psy-chologisches Institut, Germany
  • c Christliches Jugenddorfwerk Deutschlands e.V., Germany
  • d Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Klinik für Kinder-und Jugendpsychiatrie/Psychotherapie, Germany
  • e Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Klinik für Kinder-und Jugendpsychiatrie/Psychotherapie, Germany

Abstract

Unaccompanied minor refugees (UMR) who arrive in Germany are generally placed in institutional child care facilities. UMR are a very burdened group, however other children and adolescents in institutional care are burdened as well, and their quality of life is often reduced. The aim of the current study was thus to compare quality of life and behavioral problems of UMR in child care facilities with those of other resident adolescents. For a total of 50 UMR, data regarding behavioral problems was available, for 41 UMR ratings on quality of life, both from external assessments. Two parallel comparison samples of other adolescents in the same institutional care facilities were drawn with adolescents with and without a migration background. Results show that in general, UMR show fewer behavioral problems than the other two groups, especially in externalizing behavior. For internalizing behavior, no differences were evident. For quality of life, no differences could be found between the three groups of inhabitants in institutional care. This indicates that the same factors determining quality of life are present in all three groups, but that the underlying mental problems are different in UMR than in other adolescents. Thus, staff in institutional care should possibly work differently with these group of adolescents than with other inhabitants and should be educated respectively. © Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG,.

Author Keywords

unaccompanied minors Institutional care Behavioral problems UMR Quality of life

Index Keywords

problem behavior Health Facilities Germany Minors Humans refugee health care facility organization and management minor (person) psychology quality of life human child care Refugees Adolescent Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85071754351&doi=10.13109%2fprkk.2019.68.6.488&partnerID=40&md5=58490c40ac4f53ef11f283ec5f50ccd9
DOI: 10.13109/prkk.2019.68.6.488
ISSN: 00327034
Original Language: German