A Systematic Review of Social Service Programs Serving Refugees

Purpose:The global forced migration crisis calls for responsive, research-supported social services. This systematic review examines available research on social service programs implemented with refugees worldwide.Methods:Through accessing academic databases, reviewing article reference lists and websites, and contacting experts, we identified 1,402 sources, 68 of which met review inclusion criteria and were selected for analysis.Results:Studies were conducted primarily in high-income countries (n = 57). Programs examined were related to general adaptation (n = 13), relationships (n = 20), financial and employment support (n = 15), or a specific area such as sport or gardening (n = 20). Few studies used pre–post (n = 6) or experimental designs (n = 1), and in a majority of studies, the theory underlying the intervention was not specified (n = 41).Discussion:Additional research is needed to better understand social service programming with refugees, particularly in understudied contexts.