Psychosocial Support for Refugee Children in a Multi-Layered Crisis : A Mixed-Methods Case Study in Lebanon

The multi-layered crisis in Lebanon, characterised by an economic collapse, the influx of Syrian refugees, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Beirut Port Blast, has significantly affected the psychosocial well-being of Syrian refugee children in Beirut. This mixed-methods longitudinal case study investigated the stress factors impacting these children and analysed their improvements in psychosocial well-being after participating in an eight-session, group-based trauma-focused psychosocial support (PSS) program. The longitudinal study combined in-depth qualitative interviews with psychosocial counsellors regarding their perceptions of the children’s stress factors and well-being, alongside self-reported pre- and post-test data from 552 Syrian children aged 6–14 years enrolled in two learning centers. Counsellors identified exposure to a high level of potentially traumatic events, traumatic stress reactions and heightened sensitivity to stressors arising from the multi-layered crisis context. Quantitative findings indicated improvements in sense of safety and adaptability, emotional regulation, hope, well-being and sleep disturbances following participation in the PSS programme. Improvements in safety and adaptability were predictive of better outcomes across the other domains. Despite children’s previous high trauma exposure, active traumatic stress reactions and ongoing exposure to stressors from a multilayered crisis, the targeted, short-term intervention led to significant improvements in participants’ psychosocial well-being. Furthermore, the intervention demonstrates promising results regarding its effectiveness and scalability in crisis contexts.

Key Implications for Practice

• In LMICs facing multilayered crises, short-term, group-based trauma-focused PSS programs are recommended for effectiveness and scalability.
• Such programs should promote safety, improving children’s psychosocial well-being while enhancing resilience and adaptability.
• Despite group-level improvements in psychosocial well-being, integrating PSS into already established educational systems is crucial to leverage existing social and structural frameworks.