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1 – 10 of 625
Article
Publication date: 1 March 2006

Derrick Silove, Zachary Steel, Ina Susljik, Naomi Frommer, Celia Loneragan, Robert Brooks, Dominique le Touze, Vijaya Manicavasagar, Mariano Ceollo, Mitchell Smith and Elizabeth Harris

There are ongoing concerns that asylum seekers who have been tortured and who suffer trauma‐related mental disorders are being refused protection by countries in which they seek…

Abstract

There are ongoing concerns that asylum seekers who have been tortured and who suffer trauma‐related mental disorders are being refused protection by countries in which they seek asylum. The study described here assessed a consecutive sample of recently arrived asylum seekers attending immigration agents in Sydney, Australia, using a series of structured measures. Participants were followed up to assess the outcomes of their refugee applications. The 73 participants, who had resided in Australia for an average of 4.3 months, reported high rates of torture (51%), and that group was at highest risk of suffering a combination of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression, a response pattern associated with substantial levels of psychosocial disability. Neither past torture nor current psychiatric disorder influenced the outcomes of refugee applications. The study raises further concerns that tortured asylum seekers and others with trauma‐related mental disorder may be at risk of repatriation to their countries of origin.

Details

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-9894

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2018

Matthew Fish and Olivia Fakoussa

Pre- and post-immigration trauma and stress make refugees a particularly vulnerable group in terms of mental health and well-being. The purpose of this paper is to describe a…

Abstract

Purpose

Pre- and post-immigration trauma and stress make refugees a particularly vulnerable group in terms of mental health and well-being. The purpose of this paper is to describe a listening project undertaken in Plymouth, UK, which sought the views of 17 service users (n=12) and staff (n=5) from four local support organisations, for people with refugee and asylum seeker status and those with diverse cultural backgrounds. Aims of the project were to expand Western-centric understandings regarding beneficial support and the promotion of good mental health and well-being in this population.

Design/methodology/approach

Responses were subjected to thematic analysis, co-conducted with a service user. Participants were asked about their personal understandings of mental health and well-being and what supports or hinders well-being.

Findings

The findings enabled the development of a model incorporating 10 threads which support and 9 holes that can hinder well-being.

Research limitations/implications

The relatively small numbers of participants compared with the numbers of asylum seekers and refugees in Plymouth may not be fully representative of the general population in Plymouth and the UK.

Originality/value

Despite increasing cultural diversity within the UK population, available mental health services exist mainly as developed from a Western psychological model of mental distress and treatment. This research provides services with a more informed understanding of mental health for asylum seekers and refugees. As such it is of value towards future service design in Plymouth and the UK. Findings also contributed to a successful funding bid to set up a peer-led support project in the city.

Details

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-9894

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 December 2010

Dora Bernardes, John Wright, Celia Edwards, Helen Tomkins, Darias Dlfoz and Andrew Livingstone

The literature tends to use ‘asylum seekerandrefugee’ interchangeably, creating uncertainty about the mental health of asylum seekers. However, asylum seekers occupy a unique…

1115

Abstract

The literature tends to use ‘asylum seekerandrefugee’ interchangeably, creating uncertainty about the mental health of asylum seekers. However, asylum seekers occupy a unique position in British society which differentiates them from people with refugee status and which may have implications for their mental health. For example, ‘asylum seekers’ are supported and accommodated in dispersal areas under the National Asylum Support Service and they are not entitled to work. This mixed‐methods study investigated asylum seekers' symptoms of psychological distress, using mental health screening questionnaires (N = 29) and asylum seekers' subjective experiences of the asylum process, its potential impacts on their mental health, and participants' suggestions for tackling mental health needs, using in‐depth interviews (N = 8). Asylum seekers, refugees and practitioners working with asylum seekers were consulted from the outset regarding the cultural sensitivity of the measures used. Given the potential limitations of using ‘idioms of distress’ across cultures, interview data provided rich descriptive accounts which helped locate the mental health needs that the asylum seekers experienced in the specificities of each participant's social context. Asylum seekers originated from 13 countries. The results revealed that psychological distress is common among asylum seekers (for example anxiety and post‐traumatic stress), but so are post‐migratory living difficulties (for example accommodation, discrimination, worry about family back home, not being allowed to work). They also report mixed experiences of health and social care services. These results suggest that asylum seekers' unique social position may affect their mental health. Implications for practice are presented and potential limitations highlighted.

Details

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 6 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-9894

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2023

Geneveave Barbo

This review aims to examine the literature on refugeesand asylum seekers’ resilience, its historical evolution, key principles, assumptions and recommendations, while focusing…

Abstract

Purpose

This review aims to examine the literature on refugeesand asylum seekers’ resilience, its historical evolution, key principles, assumptions and recommendations, while focusing on the Canadian context.

Design/methodology/approach

A narrative literature review has been applied to this manuscript. This approach allows the integration of a wide scope of literature and perspectives, from academic literature to grey literature (e.g. governmental reports and dissertations). Nevertheless, the limitations of this type of review were also discussed.

Findings

In spite of the gaining popularity of the resilience lens, which emphasizes an individual’s ability to overcome adversities and stressful events, more work is required for its effective integration into health practice, programs and policies, particularly as it relates to refugeesand asylum seekersmental health care.

Originality/value

Careful consideration of refugeesand asylum seekersmental health needs and Canadian mental health service delivery and policies is a critical first step in reaching such a goal.

Details

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 19 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-9894

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2005

Philip Crowley

Dealing with the needs of asylum seekers and refugees presents a challenge to local health services, and mental health has been identified as the main health issue for this group…

Abstract

Dealing with the needs of asylum seekers and refugees presents a challenge to local health services, and mental health has been identified as the main health issue for this group. This paper reports the findings of a quantitative and qualitative study of the mental health care needs of asylum seekers and refugees in Newcastle upon Tyne. Primary and mental health services were found not to be meeting the needs of this group. In some practices, attitudes to asylum seekers among both GPs and other patients were reported as stigmatising. But there is evidence that many of the mental health problems of asylum seekers are related to post‐migration stress arising from practical and economic difficulties and experience of racism and other discrimination, highlighting the need to build support and social connections and include the needs of asylum seekers in local mental health promotion strategies.

Details

Journal of Public Mental Health, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5729

Article
Publication date: 2 March 2020

Salma El-Gamal and Johanna Hanefeld

The influx of refugees and asylum-seekers over the past decade into the European Union creates challenges to the health systems of receiving countries in the preparedness and

Abstract

Purpose

The influx of refugees and asylum-seekers over the past decade into the European Union creates challenges to the health systems of receiving countries in the preparedness and requisite adjustments to policy addressing the new needs of the migrant population. This study aims to examine and compare policies for access to health care and the related health outcomes for refugees and asylum-seekers settling both in the UK and Germany as host countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper conducted a scoping review of academic databases and grey literature for studies within the period 2010-2017, seeking to identify evidence from current policies and service provision for refugees and asylum-seekers in Germany and the UK, distilling the best practice and clarifying gaps in knowledge, to determine implications for policy.

Findings

Analysis reveals that legal entitlements for refugees and asylum-seekers allow access to primary and secondary health care free of charge in the UK versus a more restrictive policy of access limited to acute and emergency care during the first 15 months of resettlements in Germany. In both countries, many factors hinder the access of this group to normal health care from legal status, procedural hurdles and lingual and cultural barriers. Refugees and asylum-seeker populations were reported with poor general health condition, lower rates of utilization of health services and noticeable reliance on non-governmental organizations.

Originality/value

This paper helps to fulfill the need for an extensive research required to help decision makers in host countries to adjust health systems towards reducing health disparities and inequalities among refugees and asylum-seekers.

Details

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-9894

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 May 2021

Hamed Ahmadinia, Kristina Eriksson-Backa and Shahrokh Nikou

Immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees living in Europe face a number of challenges in accessing or using health information and healthcare services available in their host…

5558

Abstract

Purpose

Immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees living in Europe face a number of challenges in accessing or using health information and healthcare services available in their host countries. To resolve these issues and deliver the necessary services, providers must take a comprehensive approach to better understand the types of health information and healthcare services that these individuals need, seek and use. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop that comprehensive approach.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed publications was performed, with 3.013 articles collected from various databases. A total of 57 qualifying papers on studies conducted in Europe were included in the review after applying the predefined inclusion and exclusion requirements, screening processes and eliminating duplicates. The information seeking and communication model (ISCM) was used in the analysis.

Findings

The findings revealed that while many health information and healthcare services are accessible in Europe for immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees, many of these individuals are unaware of their existence or how to access them. While our findings do not specify what health-related information these groups need, use or seek, they do suggest the importance and value of providing mental health, sexual health and HIV, as well as pregnancy and childbirth information and services. Furthermore, according to our results, health information services should be fact-based, easy to understand and raise awareness about healthcare structure and services available in Europe for this vulnerable population.

Practical implications

This study has a range of practical implications, including (1) highlighting the need for mental health and behavioural health services and (2) stressing the value of addressing cultural context and religious values while investigating (health) information seeking of people with foreign background.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to systematically review and examine the behaviour of immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees in relation to health information and healthcare services in the European context.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 78 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-9322

Article
Publication date: 24 August 2020

Tkaya Giscombe, Ada Hui and Theodore Stickley

Refugee and asylum-seeking women are particularly vulnerable to experiencing mental health difficulties during the perinatal period, with social factors compounding these…

Abstract

Purpose

Refugee and asylum-seeking women are particularly vulnerable to experiencing mental health difficulties during the perinatal period, with social factors compounding these experiences. Research is limited into the mental health needs of perinatal women who are refugees or seeking asylum. The purpose of this paper is to examine the best available international evidence on this topic and to discuss the findings with relevance to the UK context.

Design/methodology/approach

A modified population, intervention, comparison, outcome was used to formulate the research question and search strategy. Databases searched were: cumulative index of nursing and allied health literature, Medline, PsychINFO, Web of Science and Scopus. Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis framework, results were screened against an inclusion and exclusion criteria. Each study underwent a quality assessment in which they were appraised using the mixed methods appraisal tool.

Findings

Eight papers were retrieved, and a thematic analysis was conducted. Two major themes were identified: mental health needs and social influences. Refugees and asylum seekers are likely to have experienced trauma as reasons for migration. Post-migration stressors, including hostility and dispersal from social networks, lead to cumulative trauma. These each add to the mental health needs of perinatal refugee and asylum-seeking women that cannot be ignored by policymakers, health and social care services or professionals.

Originality/value

Refugee and asylum-seeking women are particularly vulnerable to mental health difficulties in the perinatal period. Stressors accumulated pre-, during and post-migration to the host country exacerbate mental distress. In the UK, the treatment of this population may be detrimental to their mental health, prompting the need for greater critical awareness of the socioecological environment that refugee or asylum-seeking women experience.

Details

Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-9322

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 March 2024

Anika Christin Bäumel, Alexandra Sauter, Andrea Weber, Michael Leitzmann and Carmen Jochem

Many refugees and asylum seekers in Germany experience a high disease burden and low health literacy. The current study aims to focus on assessing these issues among African…

Abstract

Purpose

Many refugees and asylum seekers in Germany experience a high disease burden and low health literacy. The current study aims to focus on assessing these issues among African refugees and asylum seekers in Bavaria, Germany. The authors evaluated their self-perceived health status and health literacy, and identified barriers and gaps in health care utilization, intending to improve health care services for this group.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study involving 69 refugees and asylum seekers from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Nigeria. The authors performed descriptive and exploratory statistical analyses.

Findings

The authors found a substantial disease burden in the early stages of resettlement in Germany, particularly mental health symptoms (53.6%) and musculoskeletal problems (47.8%). Challenges in health literacy were observed, such as difficulties in understanding health information and managing emergency situations. Access to interpreters was limited, and understanding treatment certificates was more challenging than using electronic health cards, with 18.2% of participants reporting denial of medical treatment.

Practical implications

These findings highlight the need for early and tailored health support for refugees, with a particular focus on mental health. Efforts should be made to reduce language barriers and improve navigational skills within the health-care system, particularly in emergency situations. Addressing the restricted access to health care and bureaucratic obstacles is crucial for improved health outcomes among refugees.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to specifically explore the self-reported health status and health literacy of African refugees and asylum seekers in Bavaria, Germany, providing valuable insights into the unique healthcare challenges of this often underrepresented and overlooked population.

Details

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-9894

Keywords

1 – 10 of 625