Acculturation and Culturally Adapted CBT for Refugee Youth and Families—A Systematic Review
- 1Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Health in Social Science, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- 2Mental Health in Children and Young People: Psychological Approaches, School of Health in Social Science, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Abstract
Refugee children are exposed to stressors and events that can severely impact their psychological wellbeing. Additionally, the acculturation process during resettlement can greatly shape their mental health. Acculturation-informed culturally adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CA-CBT) could provide refugee youth and families with psychological support that meets their complex needs. This review explores the effectiveness of acculturation-informed CA-CBT interventions for refugee youth and families, specifically in reducing trauma-related symptoms such as PTSD, anxiety, or depression as well as improving day-to-day functioning, effective coping skills, and resilience. 17 databases were systematically searched between April 2022 and June 2022. Search strategies such as keyword searching, phrase searching, Boolean logic, and truncation were all used during this stage to ensure relevant studies and literature were found and included. Moreover, due to this topic’s niche nature, broad eligibility criteria were applied to ensure all relevant studies were included. 5 studies with acculturation-informed CA-CBT interventions for refugee youth were included. The studies indicate the use of acculturation-informed CA-CBT reduces trauma-related symptoms such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, and resource hardships while improving functioning, effective coping skills, treatment engagement, and resilience associated with acculturation. Comparing acculturation-informed CA-CBT with CA-CBT and treatment uninformed by acculturation was not possible due to study limitations. Although these are not well-established interventions, growing evidence supports their use. This review demonstrates how 5 acculturation-informed CA-CBT interventions have been designed and implemented to meet the unique needs of refugee youth. Studies on this topic are scarce and further research is needed before concrete conclusions can be drawn.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-026-00947-7.
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BibTeX
@article{calia2026acculturation,
title = {{Acculturation and Culturally Adapted CBT for Refugee Youth and Families—A Systematic Review}},
author = {Clara Calia and Soraya Mamiche Afara},
journal = {Journal of Child \& Adolescent Trauma},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1007/s40653-026-00947-7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-026-00947-7},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Acculturation and Culturally Adapted CBT for Refugee Youth and Families—A Systematic Review
AU - Clara Calia
AU - Soraya Mamiche Afara
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/28
JO - Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma
DO - 10.1007/s40653-026-00947-7
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-026-00947-7
AB - Refugee children are exposed to stressors and events that can severely impact their psychological wellbeing. Additionally, the acculturation process during resettlement can greatly shape their mental health. Acculturation-informed culturally adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CA-CBT) could provide refugee youth and families with psychological support that meets their complex needs. This review explores the effectiveness of acculturation-informed CA-CBT interventions for refugee youth and families, specifically in reducing trauma-related symptoms such as PTSD, anxiety, or depression as well as improving day-to-day functioning, effective coping skills, and resilience. 17 databases were systematically searched between April 2022 and June 2022. Search strategies such as keyword searching, phrase searching, Boolean logic, and truncation were all used during this stage to ensure relevant studies and literature were found and included. Moreover, due to this topic’s niche nature, broad eligibility criteria were applied to ensure all relevant studies were included. 5 studies with acculturation-informed CA-CBT interventions for refugee youth were included. The studies indicate the use of acculturation-informed CA-CBT reduces trauma-related symptoms such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, and resource hardships while improving functioning, effective coping skills, treatment engagement, and resilience associated with acculturation. Comparing acculturation-informed CA-CBT with CA-CBT and treatment uninformed by acculturation was not possible due to study limitations. Although these are not well-established interventions, growing evidence supports their use. This review demonstrates how 5 acculturation-informed CA-CBT interventions have been designed and implemented to meet the unique needs of refugee youth. Studies on this topic are scarce and further research is needed before concrete conclusions can be drawn. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-026-00947-7.
SN - 1936-1521
SN - 1936-153X
ER -