Can the GroupTherapy “Arriving” Support Refugee Mothers with their Young Children? Results from a Longitudinal Pilot Study

Abstract

Refugee mothers are exposed to multiple sources of psychological distress given their migration histories and the experience of motherhood in a foreign country and often in social isolation. “Aacho” (“Arriving”) is a psychoanalytic-oriented group therapy for refugee mothers with babies and toddlers in Switzerland.The present pilot study evaluated “Aacho” concomitantly and explored changes in the mothers’ symptom burden, in the developmental status of their children, and in the quality of mother-child interaction. Five mother-child dyads participated in a longitudinal study with two to three time points. Mothers self-reported on symptomatology (HSCL, HTQ, SSS 8) and the groups’ psychotherapists evaluated family functioning levels (HBS-L) and maternal levels of illness (CGI). In addition, the child’s developmental level (Bayley-III) and the quality of mother-child interaction (CARE index) were assessed. The symptom burden of the mothers was severe over the entire study period with varying symptom development (decrease/increase). The children’s language development tended to be delayed.The quality of mother-child interaction tended to increase over the study period. Refugee mothers with young children often experience severe psychological distress and require psychotherapeutic support that is specifically tailored to them. The evaluation of services offering such support poses specific methodological challenges.