Abstract

BRAGA BEZERRA, Cecília; MARTINS BORGES, Lucienne  and  PEREIRA CUNHA, Maiara. Children of the Borders: Literary Review Regarding Involuntary Immigration, Childhood and Mental Health. CES Psicol [online]. 2019, vol.12, n.2, pp.26-40. ISSN 2011-3080.  https://doi.org/10.21615/cesp.12.2.3.

Nowadays, a significant number of refugees who depart from their homes due to conflicts such as war, persecution, and human rights violations are searching for new opportunities. Brazil has become one of these receiving countries that not only is assisting adult refugees but also children. This study aims to review the scientific literature available on electronic databases in the last thirteen years about the psychological impact of involuntary migration in children. The research was conducted in five databases (BVS-PSI, Capes Journals, Francis, Redalyc and PsycARTICLES), from the intersection of “immigration”, “children” and “mental health” descriptors. For the analysis, forty-five articles were selected, and it was noticed the lack of national publications (Brazil). The contents addressed in the works were grouped into three categories: 1) challenges faced by children during their arrival in the receiving country, 2) psychological impacts of forced migration process in childhood, 3) intervention proposals on mental health of refugee children. Based on the information obtained, it was stressed the formulation of public policies in the Brazilian context, focused on Basic Health Care and particular needs of the refugee children by the time of their reception.

Keywords : Refugees; Immigrants; Involuntary Immigration; Displaced; Childhood; Children; Mental Health.

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