Key informants by location, position and sex.

Adolescent resettled refugees across the United States have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, through socio-economic stressors in households, disproportionate morbidity and mortality in immigrant communities, and social isolation and loss of learning due to school closures and the shift to online learning. The Study of Adolescent Lives after Migration to America [SALaMA] investigates the mental health and wellbeing of adolescents who come from–or who have parents who came from–the Middle East and North Africa [MENA] region and settled in the U.S. There is a gap in understanding of the experiences during the pandemic of MENA-background adolescents in the U.S. The objective of this study was to describe the perspective of educators and other school-affiliated service providers on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and wellbeing of adolescent resettled refugees and access to and quality of education and support services for adolescent resettled refugees. The researchers collected data using in-depth interviews with key informants in Chicago, Illinois; Harrisonburg, Virginia; and Detroit Metropolitan Area [DMA], Michigan, Key informants were school administrators, managers of English language learning services and programs, teachers, therapists, staff of non-governmental organizations and/ or community-based organizations, and case workers. Data analysis was conducted utilizing directed content analysis to develop an initial codebook and identify key themes in the data. Findings revealed a number of pathways through which the pandemic impacted adolescent refugees and immigrants’ mental health and wellbeing, with online programming impacting students’ engagement, motivation and social isolation in terms of peer and provider relationships. Specific dynamics in refugee adolescents’ households increased stressors and reduced engagement through online learning, and access to space and resources needed to support learning during school closures were limited. Service providers emphasized multiple and overlapping impacts on service quality and access, resulting in reduced social supports and mental health prevention and response approaches. Due to the long-term impacts of school closures in the first two years of the pandemic, and ongoing disruption, these data both provide a snapshot of the impacts of the pandemic at a specific moment, as well as insights into ways forward in terms of adapting services and engaging students within restrictions and limitations due to the pandemic. These findings emphasize the need for educators and mental health service providers to rebuild and strengthen relationships with students and families. These findings indicate the need to consider, support and expand social support and mental health services, specifically for refugee adolescent students, in the context of learning and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

全美各地的安置型青少年难民均受到新冠疫情的显著冲击，具体表现为家庭层面的社会经济压力源、移民社区不成比例的高发病率与死亡率，以及因学校停课转向线上学习所导致的社会隔绝与学业损失。移民美国后青少年生活研究（Study of Adolescent Lives after Migration to America，缩写SALaMA）聚焦于来自中东与北非（Middle East and North Africa，缩写MENA）地区、或父母来自该地区并已在美国定居的青少年的心理健康与福祉状况。目前学界对美国境内MENA背景青少年在疫情期间的经历仍存在认知缺口。本研究的核心目标为：阐述教育工作者及其他学校附属服务提供者的视角，以明晰新冠疫情对安置型青少年难民心理健康与福祉的影响，以及安置型青少年难民获取教育与支持服务的可及性与服务质量。研究人员通过对伊利诺伊州芝加哥市、弗吉尼亚州哈里森堡市以及密歇根州底特律都会区（Detroit Metropolitan Area，缩写DMA）的关键知情人开展深度访谈收集数据。受访的关键知情人包括学校行政人员、英语语言学习服务与项目主管、教师、治疗师、非政府组织及社区组织工作人员，以及个案工作者。数据分析采用定向内容分析法完成：首先构建初始编码手册，进而识别数据中的核心主题。研究结果揭示了疫情影响青少年难民与移民心理健康及福祉的多条路径：线上教学模式对学生的参与度、学习动机产生负面影响，同时加剧了其在同伴与服务提供者关系层面的社会隔绝问题。青少年难民家庭中的特定环境因素进一步加剧了压力，并通过线上学习降低了学生的参与度；此外，学校停课期间，学生用于支持学习的空间与资源获取渠道十分有限。服务提供者指出，多重叠加效应冲击了服务质量与可及性，导致社会支持系统以及心理健康预防与干预手段均有所缩减。鉴于疫情前两年学校停课的长期影响以及持续存在的各类干扰，本研究数据既呈现了疫情在特定时间点的影响截面快照，也为在疫情限制与约束框架下调整服务模式、吸引学生参与提供了可行方向的洞见。上述研究结果强调，教育工作者与心理健康服务提供者亟需重建并强化与学生及家庭的联结。同时，本研究结果表明，在新冠疫情背景下的学习与福祉领域，亟需针对青少年难民学生考量、支持并拓展社会支持与心理健康服务。