Mental health of failed asylum seekers as compared with pending and temporarily accepted asylum seekers

European Journal of Public Health
Julia MuellerThomas Maier

Abstract

Asylum seekers (AS) and refugees often suffer from severe psychopathology in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As PTSD impacts memory functions, and as asylum applications rely on personal accounts, AS with PTSD are at more risk of being rejected than refugees. We studied the mental health of failed asylum seekers (FAS, N = 40) and a matched sample of AS (N = 40). Participants were administered structured interviews on sociodemographics, flight, exile and standardized questionnaires on PTSD, anxiety, depression and pain. Both samples were severely affected; >80% exhibited at least one clinically significant condition. Given the great vulnerability of these individuals, long and unsettling asylum processes as practised in Western host countries seem problematic, as does the withdrawal of health and social welfare benefits. Finally, high rates of psychopathology amongst FAS indicate that refugee and humanitarian decision-making procedures may be failing to identify those most in need of protection.

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Citations

Feb 8, 2014·European Psychiatry : the Journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists·D BhugraM Carta
Apr 23, 2013·Primary Health Care Research & Development·Maria van den MuijsenberghAnne MacFarlane
Jan 19, 2013·American Journal of Public Health·Anne KaltCathy Zimmerman
Dec 17, 2014·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·Debbie C HockingSuresh Sundram
Sep 21, 2019·The European Respiratory Journal·Ineke SpruijtConnie Erkens
Aug 14, 2020·Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences·Sohail JannesariSiân Oram
Jul 18, 2018·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Georgios SchoretsanitisSebastian Walther
Feb 1, 2020·European Journal of Psychotraumatology·Angela NickersonBelinda J Liddell
Jul 1, 2021·Social Science & Medicine·Jenny Phillimore, Sin Yi Cheung

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