School-based psychosocial interventions for refugee and conflict-affected adolescents in Middle Eastern countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Journal
- Journal of public health (Oxford, England) (Q1)
- Published
- 29 July 2026
- Study design
- Systematic review / meta-analysis of RCTs
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1a)
- Authors
- Amani N Alansari, Amani Salim, Marwa Messaoud, Mohammed A Mahmoud, Hanan Youssif
- PMID
- 42525835
- DOI
- 10.1093/pubmed/fdag057
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Emergency Medicine (top studies of the week, 2 August 2026).
- Picked for Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health (paper of the day, 30 July 2026).
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the effectiveness of school-based psychosocial interventions for conflict-affected adolescents in the Middle Eastern countries. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to August 2025 for studies evaluating school-based interventions targeting mental health outcomes in refugee adolescents in Middle East. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and pre-post intervention designs. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted for single-arm (pre-post) and double-arm (intervention versus control) comparisons, using R programming for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Nine studies involving predominantly Syrian, Palestinian, and Afghan refugee adolescents met the inclusion criteria. Single-arm analyses demonstrated significant reductions in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms [mean raw score change (MRAW) = -7.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): -10.53 to -4.46], anxiety (MRAW = -9.33, 95% CI: -16.43 to -2.23), and emotional-behavioral difficulties (MRAW = -2.21, 95% CI: -3.20 to -1.22). Double-arm analyses showed significant effects for PTSD/stress [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.63, 95% CI: -1.26 to -0.001] and emotional-behavioral difficulties (SMD = -3.47, 95% CI: -6.55 to -0.40), but not for depression or anxiety when compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: School-based psychosocial interventions demonstrate effectiveness in reducing trauma-related symptoms and improving emotional regulation among conflict-affected adolescents in Middle Eastern contexts, although substantial heterogeneity warrants cautious interpretation. While findings support their potential integration into humanitarian education programming, conclusions should be considered in light of variability in study design and populations.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.