A Scoping Review of Person-Centered Mental Health Care for Migrants and Refugees in Humanitarian Settings

Refugees and migrants experience disproportionately high rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder due to pre-migration trauma and post-resettlement challenges. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) QualityRights framework emphasizes person-centered and rights-based mental health care, its practical application in migrant and refugee mental health settings remains underexplored. This scoping review maps existing evidence on person-centered mental health care (PCC-MH) for migrants and refugees, identifies key barriers and facilitators, and describes existing interventions and care models through the lens of the WHO QualityRights framework. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, six academic databases and relevant gray literature sources were searched for studies published between 2004 and 2025. Included studies addressed PCC domains such as dignity, autonomy, communication, privacy, stigma reduction, and cultural sensitivity. Data were synthesized and interpreted using the WHO QualityRights framework. Forty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. The evidence consistently showed high mental health needs among migrants and refugees alongside low service utilization. Key barriers included language difficulties, stigma, restrictive policies, and limited cultural competence within health systems. Facilitators comprised culturally adapted interventions, interpreter services, peer- and trauma-informed care, and rights-based approaches, though implementation was often fragmented and inconsistent. Achieving equitable and sustainable mental health care for migrants in humanitarian settings requires systematic integration of PCC principles within national mental health policies and primary-care systems. Core PCC principles must include privileging the rights, lived experience, and voice of migrant groups to effectively promote the mental health and well-being of diverse migrant groups in humanitarian settings. This can include co-designing mental health services and supporting migrants.