School-based mental health professionals are uniquely positioned to provide equity-based and culturally responsive social-emotional support for refugee students (NASP, 2019; Rumsey et al., 2018; Stewart, 2014). Research on social-emotional interventions for refugee students is limited, and it remains unclear whether these interventions address domains associated with transformative social-emotional learning (tSEL). This study systematically reviewed literature to examine study characteristics (study location, study design); participant characteristics (age/grade level, race, ethnicity, country of origin); intervention characteristics (duration of intervention, mode of delivery, tier level, interventionists, type of setting, and targeted social emotional skills); student outcomes related to these interventions; and tSEL domains addressed in interventions. A total of 38 articles were examined in the systematic review. Studies were conducted in different regions around the world with diverse participants. Most studies targeted intervention for middle school students. Twenty-four different social-emotional intervention programs were found across the 38 articles and the most targeted social-emotional skills were self-management, self-awareness, and relationship skills. Nineteen articles included social-emotional programs that integrated at least one domain of tSEL, with identity and belongingness being the most frequently included. Student outcomes measured in the studies included internalizing and externalizing behavior and social-emotional/behavioral skills. Implications include addressing mental health needs, collaboration with communities, and implementing culturally responsive practices.
