School-Based Factors, Positive Wellbeing, and Post-Traumatic Growth for Refugee and Asylum Seeking Students

Abstract Research has begun to explore the role of schooling in mental health promotion for children from refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds. Most of this research has been conducted in countries of permanent resettlement, with a lack of knowledge regarding these experiences within countries of first/temporary asylum. This study explored the schooling and educational experiences of refugee and asylum seeking children in Malaysia, where these children are not legally recognised and they are reliant on volunteer- and community-run schools that are typically underfunded and under-resourced. The research questions focussed on student perceptions of school-based factors that foster positive and negative mental health and wellbeing. This study explores the experiences of 173 refugee and asylum seeking students within Malaysia (age ranging from 10 to 20 years old, M = 14.64, SD = 2.17) who completed a face-to-face battery of questionnaires in English, with language support available to those requiring assistance. Multiple regression analyses revealed that factors such as social support, a sense of safety, positive physical environments, parental involvement in schooling, and the presence of mental health support were associated with positive mental health and wellbeing. Given the dominant role that schools play in the daily lives of children, they may represent important settings for interventions seeking to support mental health.