Understanding and improving the mental health of refugees and asylum-seekers: Reflections from the closing panel of the 2024 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Annual Meeting

Angela Nickerson; B Heidi Ellis; Naser Morina; Frank Neuner; Lori Zoellner

doi:10.1002/jts.23176

Understanding and improving the mental health of refugees and asylum-seekers: Reflections from the closing panel of the 2024 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Annual Meeting

J Trauma Stress. 2025 Jun 15. doi: 10.1002/jts.23176. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Angela Nickerson¹, B Heidi Ellis², Naser Morina³, Frank Neuner⁴, Lori Zoellner⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
² Trauma and Community Resilience Center, Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
³ Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
⁴ professor and head of clinical psychology, Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.
⁵ Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.

PMID: 40518587
DOI: 10.1002/jts.23176

Abstract

Forcible displacement due to war and persecution has reached unprecedented heights across the globe. The mental health impact of trauma and displacement on refugee communities is profound. Although there are several evidence-based therapies that are efficacious in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression in refugees, many refugees do not have access to these, and, for those who do, a significant proportion do not respond. This article summarizes the closing panel at the 2024 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Annual Meeting, where four researchers and clinicians with expertise in refugee mental health reflected on core outstanding questions in the field and promising approaches to addressing these knowledge gaps. Common themes emerged from this discussion, including the importance of considering and addressing environmental stressors when providing psychological treatment for refugees, the critical role of the social and cultural context in refugee mental health, and the necessity of partnering with refugee communities to improve the quality and efficacy of research and clinical activities. This article concludes with suggestions for early-career researchers and clinicians who are working with refugee communities to facilitate trauma recovery and improve well-being.