Evidence on interventions that promote the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeker children and adolescents in transit: a scoping literature review

Abstract

IntroductionThe population of migrant, refuge, and asylum-seeking children and adolescents across the globe has increased in recent decades. These minors often undergo adverse experiences that negatively impact their mental health and psychosocial well-being (MHPWB). In light of the transient nature and multiple stressors inherent in the transit stage, this scoping review was conducted to characterize the evidence on interventions aimed at promoting the MHPWB of minors during their migration journey.MethodsFollowing the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we systematically searched the MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, APA PsycInfo, and Web of Science databases, as well as the Google Scholar search engine, for studies published between January 2010 and September 2025 that included the evaluation of some aspect of interventions aimed at promoting MHPWB in minors during transit, regardless of the language and location where the study was conducted. Systematic reviews of the literature were excluded. The data most relevant to answering the research questions were presented in tables and accompanied by a narrative synthesis.ResultsOf the 1,835 unique documents identified, 28 met the inclusion criteria. Most of the interventions had been implemented in refugee camps and were aimed at school-age children and adolescents who had been forcibly displaced, mainly from the Middle East. Most of the interventions combined different approaches, such as psychoeducation and cognitive-behavioral therapy, and had a family or group approach. All interventions reported some degree of positive change on children's MHPWB. However, few studies considered at-risk subgroups, and no interventions targeted two of the main forcibly displaced populations at the time of the study, Venezuelans and South Sudanese.ConclusionsOur study effectively describes existing interventions aimed at promoting MHPWB for minors in transit and their effectiveness and/or implementation process, as well as identifies gaps in the current evidence and lessons learned that can help improve future interventions. Introducci & oacute

nLa poblaci & oacute

n de ni & ntilde

os y adolescentes migrantes, refugiados y solicitantes de asilo ha aumentado en las & uacute

ltimas d & eacute

cadas a nivel global. A menudo, estos menores experimentan experiencias adversas que impactan negativamente sobre su salud mental y bienestar psicosocial (SMBP). Considerando la naturaleza transitoria y los m & uacute

ltiples estresores inherentes a la etapa de tr & aacute

nsito, se realiz & oacute

la presente revisi & oacute

n de alcance para caracterizar la evidencia sobre las intervenciones orientadas a promover la SMBP de menores durante el viaje migratorio.M & eacute

todosSiguiendo las gu & iacute

as de PRISMA-ScR, buscamos de forma sistem & aacute

tica en las bases de datos MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, APA PsycInfo y Web of Science, as & iacute

como en el motor de b & uacute

squeda Google Scholar, estudios publicados entre enero de 2010 y septiembre de 2025 que incluyeran la evaluaci & oacute

n de alg & uacute

n aspecto de las intervenciones destinadas a promover la SMBP de los menores durante el tr & aacute

nsito, independientemente del idioma y lugar donde se hubiera realizado el estudio. Se excluyeron revisiones sistem & aacute

ticas de la literatura. Los datos m & aacute

s relevantes para responder a las preguntas de investigaci & oacute

n fueron presentados en tablas y se acompa & ntilde

aron de una s & iacute

ntesis narrativa.ResultadosDe los 1835 documentos & uacute

nicos identificados, 28 cumplieron con los requisitos de inclusi & oacute

n. La mayor & iacute

a de las intervenciones hab & iacute

an sido implementadas en campos de refugiados y estaban dirigidas a menores en edad escolar y adolescentes desplazados forzados, principalmente originarios de Oriente Medio. La mayor & iacute

a de las intervenciones combinaban diferentes abordajes, como la psicoeducaci & oacute

n y la terapia cognitive-conductual, y ten & iacute

an un abordaje familiar o grupal. Todas las intervenciones reportaron alg & uacute

n nivel de cambio positivo sobre la SMBP de los menores. Sin embargo, fueron pocos los estudios que consideraran a subgrupos en riesgo, as & iacute

como no se identificaron intervenciones orientadas a dos de las principales poblaciones desplazadas forzosas en el per & iacute

odo de estudio, la venezolana y sudsudanesa.ConclusionesNuestro estudio logra de forma efectiva describir las intervenciones existentes destinadas a promover la SMBP de menores en tr & aacute

nsito y su efectividad y/o proceso de implementaci & oacute

n, as & iacute

como identificar brechas en la evidencia actual y aprendizajes que pueden ayudar a mejorar futuras intervenciones.