Psychosocial school-based intervention among adolescents with migrant and native backgrounds: Effectiveness and experiences




Punamäki, Raija-Leena; Soye, Emma; Kankaanpää, Reeta; Mohammadi, Leila; Vänskä, Mervi; Aalto, Sanni; Watters, Charles; Derluyn, Ilse; Verelst, An; Peltonen, Kirsi

PublisherInforma UK Limited

2025

 Applied Developmental Science

1088-8691

1532-480X

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2025.2596583

https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2025.2596583

https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202601221745



Positive social relationships are essential for supporting adolescents in multicultural schools. This preregistered study quantitatively examined the effectiveness of the Peer Integration and Enhancement Resource (PIER), a school-based psychosocial intervention, in increasing adolescents' social capital; it also qualitatively analyzed teachers' experiences of the PIER. Adolescents with migrant backgrounds and those with native backgrounds were randomly allocated to the intervention and control groups in England (N = 108) and Finland (N = 370). Indicators of social capital, e.g. peer relationship quality, sense of belonging, and prosocial behavior, were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and at follow-up. The quantitative results demonstrated that the PIER did not significantly improve adolescents' social capital. The qualitative analyses of the teachers' focus group discussions identified four main themes: emotional support through experiential processes, security created through exercises, identity building through exploration, and connection through group dynamics. Tailoring the intervention to meet adolescents' needs would improve its effectiveness.



The research was carried out as part of the RefugeesWellSchool (RWS) project "Preventive school-based interventions to promote the mental well-being of refugee and migrant adolescents." The RWS project has received funding from the European Union's 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 754849.


Last updated on 18/02/2026 02:52:16 PM