Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Unaccompanied Afghan Minors (UAMs): Key Research Findings

This webinar is presented by Switchboard, a one-stop shop for refugee service providers in the United States. Learn more about Switchboard at www.SwitchboardTA.org.
Hosted on September 24, 2024, the training was delivered by Dr. Zaid Baha, Medical Director for Genesee Health Systems; Farhad Sharifi, MSW, social worker and cultural expert in the Family Strengthening Intervention for Refugees project at the Research Program on Children and Adversity (RPCA) at Boston College; Said Hasib Arwal, Research Assistant and Cultural Adviser; Ngozi V. Enelamah, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of New Hampshire; and, Audrey Montgomery, MSW, research associate focused primarily on the Research Program on Children and Adversity’s (RPCA) refugee portfolio.
Newcomer youth, particularly unaccompanied youth (i.e., arriving without a biological parent or legal guardian), typically experience trauma with long-term mental health impacts throughout their migration journeys. There are multi-system factors and players involved in the resettlement of unaccompanied Afghan minors (UAMs), specifically those that arrived from Afghanistan to the U.S. following the takeover by the Taliban. While mental health can be a new and/or taboo topic for many communities, it is important for caregivers and providers to raise the issue with clients, especially UAMs. Understanding the unique needs of UAMs is essential for caregivers and providers to identify and address mental health challenges with cultural sensitivity and equity.
By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:
Explain the importance of equitable mental health services for UAMs.
Identify the unique challenges and protective factors of UAMs, and how they differ from the general unaccompanied refugee minor (URM) population.
Name culturally informed strategies that address the needs of UAMs at the caregiver, provider, and research levels.
Describe the implications of research findings on UAMs for policymakers and practitioners.