‘I don’t want to say goodbye to everyone’: A qualitative exploration of loneliness, belonging and drama therapy with migrant youth

This qualitative study explores experiences of loneliness among migrant youth and examines the potential of drama-based group interventions to foster connection, belonging and meaning-making. Drawing on a mixed-methods design conducted in a refugee resettlement setting in the United States, the study focuses on qualitative data from focus groups with twelve participants aged 12–24 from diverse migration backgrounds. Using dramaturgical coding as a first cycle method, and from that latent thematic analysis as a secondary approach, the findings highlight how drama-based practices supported social connection, emotional expression and non-verbal processing of complex experiences. Participants reported increased feelings of belonging, opportunities for relational risk-taking and appreciation for creative modalities that did not require verbal disclosure of trauma. The study also critically reflects on the role of the facilitator, the importance of interpreters as cultural brokers and the methodological tensions of conducting research in unstable, multilingual and community-based contexts. Situating the work within decolonizing research frameworks, the article argues for more flexible and relational approaches to research with marginalized populations. Drama-based groups are presented as promising spaces for addressing loneliness and supporting interpersonal resource development among migrant youth, particularly in contexts marked by structural precarity and limited access to mental health services.