Responding to Trauma: A Critical Review of Mental Health and Psychosocial Interventions for Refugee Women

This is a critical review of English language literature (January 2023—June 2024) on psychological trauma amongst forcibly displaced migrant women. The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Framework was used to organize multi-layered mental health interventions.

Findings indicate many promising community-based interventions, often delivered by trained lay facilitators. Interventions address: upstream drivers of mental health such as empowerment and economic security, group-based care focused on social connection and well-being, and trauma focused treatment such as Mindfulness Based Interventions, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Culturally Adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

The variety of (primarily short-term) interventions must be complemented by longitudinal evaluation. Clinicians and care systems should partner with those delivering psychosocial interventions outside of clinical settings. Continued research on the impacts of cumulative and intergenerational trauma amongst refugee women, and intervention research that centers the experiences of marginalized groups (e.g., sexual and gender minority refugees) is needed.