Psychosocial interventions for adolescents in forced migration: A scoping review protocol

Background Adolescents account for 40% of forcibly displaced people worldwide and are often the most vulnerable to mental health challenges. Although psychosocial interventions are becoming popular, there remains a significant gap in the application of psychosocial interventions for adolescents in forced migration context. Mapping the existing literature is necessary to help guide the use of psychosocial interventions for this population. Objective To systematically map and synthesise the scope of existing literature related to psychosocial interventions for adolescents in forced migration situations. This review will inform the policy and practice. Inclusion criteria This review will include empirical studies using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods approaches. The review will include any study where adolescents aged 10–19 years in forced migration settings receive psychosocial intervention with the purpose of improving psychological well-being, mental health, or psychosocial functioning. The study population will include adolescent refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, and other adolescents who have been compelled to leave their homes due to conflict, persecution, natural disasters, or other threats to safety and security. Studies will include both high-income and low- and middle-income countries. Only studies published from 2000 to the present will be included in the review. Method The review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. It will include a comprehensive search of published studies in databases and grey literature. Two independent reviewers will evaluate all abstracts and full articles that are written in English. We will identify concepts from psychosocial interventions, categorise accepted studies according to characteristics, describe implementation factors, and report outcomes of selected studies. Scoping review registration This study protocol is registered with Open Science Framework (OSF) with DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/ADF92 .