Psychosocial interventions for displaced adolescents’ mental health: a multivariate meta-analysis

Background

Adolescent refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced persons represent a large and growing population at heightened risk for mental health disorders during a critical developmental period. We assessed the efficacy of psychosocial interventions in this vulnerable group.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and multivariate/multilevel meta-analysis, searching Ovid (PsycINFO, PsycArticles, PSYINDEX, ERIC, MEDLINE), EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science from inception through June 1, 2025. We included randomized controlled trials evaluating psychosocial interventions for forcibly displaced adolescents aged 10–19 years targeting PTSD, depression, anxiety, and psychological distress. Primary analyses estimated pooled effects across outcomes, groups, and timepoints and separate analyses were conducted for post-intervention; 3–6 and 6–12-month follow-ups; secondary analyses examined individual outcomes. PROSPERO: CRD42022354834.

Results

This first multivariate/multilevel synthesis included 29 RCTs involving 5,391 forcibly displaced adolescents. Psychosocial interventions showed a small but significant effect post-intervention (k = 66, SMD = −0.23 [95% CI: −0.39, −0.06], p = 0.009, I² = 91.6%). Long-term evidence was limited by inconsistent quality and publication bias (PET: p = 0.01). Waitlist/no-treatment controls yielded significantly larger effects than usual or enhanced usual care (b = -0.37, p = 0.011).

Conclusions

Psychosocial interventions offer modest short-term mental health benefits for forcibly displaced adolescents, but demonstrating efficacy beyond usual care remains essential. Future interventions should be adapted to LMIC/LIC contexts, address ongoing displacement stressors, improve representation of internally displaced populations, incorporate caregiver support, and prioritize group-based formats.

Funding

Austrian Research Fund (FWF)

Key messages

• Psychosocial interventions show modest short-term benefits for displaced adolescents; long-term effects and effects beyond usual care remain to be demonstrated.

• Future interventions must target LMIC/LIC settings, ongoing displacement stressors, internally displaced adolescents, caregiver involvement, and group formats.