The mental health consequences of protracted asylum seeking in Australia

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1581-1581 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.F. D'Souza ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Somatoform Disorders ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Current State ◽  
Harvard Trauma Questionnaire ◽  
Refugee Trauma ◽  
Research Interview ◽  
Residency Status ◽  
Clinical Measures

The mandatory detention of asylum seekers in Australia and the administrative, legal and ministtreal appeal processes have lead to protracted process of refugee determination.Further compounding of trauma/ torture, diminished sense of self future and purpose leading to high levels distress including anxiety depressive and somatoform disorders. High levels of distress appear to persisit after refgugees are settled.Study/methods•Harvard Trauma Questionnaire-R (HTQ-R) •Hopkins Symptoms Checklist (HSCL-25) •Post-Migration Living Difficulties Checklist (PMLDC) •Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Interview - Demoralisation Scale (PERI-D)f •ResultsN = 124. 84% Male; 93% conversant in English •Age: 20–62 years (μ = 35 yrs, SD = 10.8) •Residency Status: PR n = 32 (25%) Asylum Seeker n = 92 (75%) •Visa status: BVE (30%) BVA (23%) Student Visa (10%) •Time since application: 0 – 178 months (14.8 yrs) (μ = 31.2, SD = 48.4) •Not economic refugees. > 99% arrived by plane. • 34% without Medicare & 23% no work rights.ConclusionMultiple fold higher than the general population. -Highly traumatised population -Marginal reduction when granted protection •Inter-correlation between clinical measures à indicates pan-distress. •Clinical measures with number of rejections & time since app •Comparable number of pre-migration traumas yet difference in ‘refugee’ trauma & PTSD for AS vs. PR may reflect that current state of trauma is due to RDP ∨ perpetuating psychosocial factors •It has characteristics of many disorders but its own identity lication à weak association. -Ceiling effect of distress? -current state of trauma is due to RDP &/or perpetuating psychosocial factors •It has characteristics of many disorders but its own identity.

The impact of the refugee decision on the trajectory of PTSD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among asylum seekers: A longitudinal study

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 321-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derrick Silove, MBChB (Hons I), MD, FRANZCP ◽  
Zachary Steel, MPsych(clinical), BA(Hons) ◽  
Ina Susljik, BA, PDip(psychol) ◽  
Naomi Frommer, BA(Hons), LLB ◽  
Celia Loneragan, BA(Hons) ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Mental Health Functioning ◽  
Hopkins Symptom Checklist ◽  
Initial Application ◽  
Harvard Trauma Questionnaire ◽  
Residency Status ◽  
The Impact

Objective: To examine prospectively the trajectory of trauma-related psychiatric symptoms and disability amongst asylum seekers over the course of the refugee determination process. To identify the direct impact of the refugee decision on psychiatric symptoms by adjusting for other variables, namely sociodemographic characteristics, past trauma, and ongoing postmigration stresses.Design: A prospective cohort study of asylum seekers recruited from a random sample of immigration agents in Sydney,Australia.Setting: Consecutive asylum seekers were referred for interview by immigration agents. Interviews were undertaken after the initial application and on average, 3.8 months after the refugee decision.Measures: Measures assessed premigration trauma and postmigration stressors. Mental health status was assessed using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist- 25. Functional impairment was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study-Short Form 12.Results: Sixty-two of 73 asylum seekers were retained at follow-up. The accepted (16) and rejected (46) groups did not differ on premigration trauma or baseline psychiatric symptoms. Postdecision, the accepted group showed substantial improvements in posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and in mental health functioning, whereas the rejected group maintained high levels of symptoms on all psychiatric indices.Conclusions: Establishing secure residency status for asylum seekers may be important to their recovery from trauma-related psychiatric symptoms. The practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Somatoform disorders among children and adolescents in a tertiary hospital

KYAMC Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-72
Author(s):  
Anupam Das ◽  
Md Abdul Matin ◽  
Sultanuddin Ahmed ◽  
Md Shameem Ahmed ◽  
Proshenjeet Dey
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Child Psychiatry ◽  
Somatoform Disorders ◽  
Psychological Problem ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Verbal Skills ◽  
Psychiatry Clinic ◽  
The Difference

Background: Somatoform disorders are common problem among children and adolescents. As children's verbal skills are relatively poorly developed to express their psychological problem, it is not surprising that they display somatic symptoms in response to life stresses.Objectives: The study aimed to explore the difference of somatoform disorders and symptoms between boys and girls the causal association of psychosocial factors.Materials & Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted at weekly Child Psychiatry Clinic of Psychiatry OPD and Pediatrics OPD in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) of 6-16 years' age group from June to December' 2003. Total 450 respondents, 350 from Pediatric OPD & 100 from Child Psychiatry Clinic of Psychiatry OPD, were included in this study.Results: No significant gender difference was found in the diagnostic categories of somatoform disorders. Both boys and girls reported higher rates of undifferentiated somatoform disorders, 33.33% and 37.50% respectively. Abnormal psychosocial factors were found in majority of the cases and the most common was parental overprotection (26.42%). Overall, associated abnormal psychosocial situations were significantly higher among girls than that of boys (P<0.01). It was also revealed that higher rate of abnormal psychosocial factors was found to have causal relationship of higher rate of somatoform disorders among girls than that of boys.Conclusion: Findings suggested that somatoform disorders in children and adolescents were frequent in clinical settings and more in girls than that of boys due to more associated abnormal psychosocial situations among girls.KYAMC Journal Vol. 9, No.-2, July 2018, Page 69-72

Influence of post-migration living difficulties on post-traumatic symptoms in Chinese asylum seekers resettled in Italy

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-135
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Aragona ◽  
Miriam Castaldo ◽  
Maria Cristina Tumiati ◽  
Cristina Schillirò ◽  
Alessandra Dal Secco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Potentially Traumatic Events ◽  
Harvard Trauma Questionnaire ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Migration Experiences ◽  
Traumatic Symptoms

Background: Little is known about mental health and resettlement difficulties of Chinese asylum seekers fleeing China due to religious persecutions. Aim: This study explores main post-migration living difficulties (PMLD) in this population, with a focus on their role in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods: A total of 67 patients (95.52% women, mean age 34.75 ± 7.63) were included in the study. The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) was used to assess PTSD, the List of Migration Experiences (LiMEs) was used for pre-migration and post-migration experiences (potentially traumatic events as well as living difficulties). The t-test was used to examine the differences in pre-migration and post-migration mean scores. Logistic regression was used to test the effect of pre-migration traumatic experiences (PMTE) and most frequent PMLD on having a PTSD. Results: A total of 49 patients scored above the HTQ cut-off score for PTSD. As expected, traumatic experiences were concentrated in the pre-migration phase, while living difficulties were present in both phases but more frequently in the post-migration period. PMTE were significantly related to PTSD (OR 1.29, p = .01). However, three PMLD (‘Feeling that you do not know where you will lend up tomorrow’, ‘Loneliness and boredom’ and ‘Not being able to find work’) showed a significant interaction with PMTE, suggesting that their presence in the post-migration phase has a modulation effect by increasing the likelihood of PTSD. Conclusion: This study extends to Chinese asylum seekers the previous evidence that PMLD have a significant role in the likelihood to have a PTSD after landing in the host country.

Conceptualizing religious asylum: Security, religiosity, and subjective well-being of Christian asylum-seekers in Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
pp. 011719682110678
Author(s):  
Terence Chun Tat Shum
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychosocial Distress ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Positive Sense

This article proposes the concept of religious asylum to examine how Christian asylum-seekers utilize religion to cope with their emotional experiences, induced by a sense of insecurity, during prolonged displacement. Drawing from interviews and ethnographic observations of people seeking asylum in Hong Kong, this research determines that asylum-seekers use religion to redefine their positive sense of self beyond their current situation, which is central to the construct of well-being. While religion supports asylum-seekers going through psychosocial distress and suffering, this discussion on religious asylum shows how asylum-seekers utilize the religiously inflected space to make the experience of prolonged displacement meaningful.

Psychosomatic Findings in Musician Patients at a Department of Hand Surgery

2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 144-151
Author(s):  
Claudia Spahn ◽  
Nikolaus Ell ◽  
Karin Seidenglanz
Keyword(s):  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Somatoform Disorders ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Somatic Symptoms ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Hand Surgery ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Somatoform Disorder ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Depression And Anxiety

In the present study, the degree and frequency of symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as signs of somatoform disorders were ascertained in former musician patients of a department of hand surgery by means of standardized psychometric instruments. It was also the goal of the study to find out to what extent musicians seeking somatically oriented therapy ascribe significance to psychosocial factors regarding the etiology and the course of their ailments, and to what extent they feel psychologically stressed by their somatic symptoms. Sixty-nine musicians were evaluated. The results of the study showed a low frequency of significant ratings for depression and anxiety compared with clinical and nonclinical populations of nonmusicians, whereas there was a clear tendency toward somatization in the sample investigated. A fourth of the musicians had ratings compatible with those of psychosomatic patients, and can be classified as an at-risk group for a somatoform disorder. Three fourths of the musicians evinced a somatically oriented subjective ailment model. This means that, from their point of view, psychosocial factors play but a minor role in the etiology and the course of somatic symptoms. Three fourths of the musicians, however, stated in retrospective evaluation that they had felt psychologically stressed by their physical symptoms. All in all, the results suggest that psychosomatic aspects play a decisive role in somatic problems of musicians, and that it would seem particularly important for hand surgeons to take note of psychosocial aspects in the etiology and the course of their symptoms.

Anxiety, depression and PTSD in asylum-seekers: Assocations with pre-migration trauma and post-migration stressors

1997 ◽  
Vol 170 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derrick Silove ◽  
Ingrid Sinnerbrink ◽  
Annette Field ◽  
Vijaya Manicavasagar ◽  
Zachary Steel
Keyword(s):  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Migration Trauma ◽  
Residency Status ◽  
Correlational Data ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Sydney Australia

BackgroundResearch into the mental health of refugees has burgeoned in recent times, but there is a dearth of studies focusing specifically on the factors associated with psychiatric distress in asylum-seekers who have not been accorded residency status.MethodForty consecutive asylum-seekers attending a community resource centre in Sydney, Australia, were interviewed using structured instruments and questionnaires.ResultsAnxiety scores were associated with female gender, poverty, and conflict with immigration officials, while loneliness and boredom were linked with both anxiety and depression. Thirty subjects (79%) had experienced atraumatic event such as witnessing killings, being assaulted, or suffering torture and captivity, and 14 subjects (37%) met full criteria for PTSD. A diagnosis of PTSD was associated with greater exposure to pre-migration trauma, delays in processing refugee applications, difficulties in dealing with immigration officials, obstacles to employment, racial discrimination, and loneliness and boredom.ConclusionsAlthough based on correlational data derived from a convenient'sample, our findings raise the possibility that current procedures for dealing with asylum-seekers may contribute to high levels of stress and psychiatric symptoms in those who have been previously traumatised.

Conducting unleashing interviews where control means life or death

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose Løvgren
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Loss Of Control ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Research Interview

This chapter discusses ethical concerns about empathetic engagement in interviews about violence. It discusses cases from fieldwork in Rwanda where emotional investment in the field can be experienced as deeply intrusive, and explores the ethical and political meaning of the author’s own doubts and insecurities with regards to these encounters. The chapter argues that interviewees living in violent settings may at times subdue their sense of self as a survival tactic. When the research interview works to affirm the interviewee’s sense of self, it is often experienced as a threat. The chapter discusses a case where insecurity in the aftermath of a research encounter took part in structuring the author’s gendered and sexed positionality in the field. The cases discussed are used to illustrate that empathetic engagement in violent research settings can cause interviewees experience of harm through loss of control in a setting where control means life or death.

scholarly journals Relational Spirituality and Transgenerational Obligations: The Role of Family in Lay Explanatory Models of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Male Cameroonian Asylum Seekers and Undocumented Migrants in Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Freyja Grupp ◽  
Sara Skandrani ◽  
Marie Rose Moro ◽  
Ricarda Mewes
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Undocumented Migrants ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Relational Spirituality ◽  
Residency Status ◽  
Post Traumatic

Context: Diasporic Cameroonians are increasingly leading a transnational life in which family members are sustained through networks of relations and obligations. However, before arriving in Europe, the vast majority of African migrants who take the Mediterranean route are exposed to trauma and hardship. Moreover, the joint occurrence of forced displacement, trauma, and extended separation from families has a significant impact on mental health.Objectives: This study explores the role of culture-specific conceptualizations of family structures and transnationalism in explanatory models of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among male Cameroonian asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants in Europe.Methods: An in-depth study of two samples of Cameroonian migrants with a precarious residency status in Europe was conducted. Focus group discussions and interviews were carried out with asylum seekers in Germany (n = 8) and undocumented migrants and failed asylum seekers in France (n = 9). The verbatim transcripts of these interviews served as the data for interpretative phenomenological analyses.Results, Analysis, and Discussion: Family was conceptualized in religious and spiritual terms, and relational spirituality appeared to be a crucial element of family cohesion. Explanatory models of PTSD were mainly based on an intersection of family and spirituality. The disrespect of transgenerational, traditional, and spiritual obligations toward parents and ancestral spirits represented a crucial causal attribution for post-traumatic symptoms.Conclusions: Conceptualizations of post-traumatic stress were based on a collective family and spiritual level instead of an individualized illness-centered perception. The Western psychological and psychiatric perspective on post-traumatic stress might conflict with traditional, religious, and spiritual practices in the context of family conceptualizations of Cameroonian forced migrants with a precarious residency status.

Transcultural telepsychiatry and its impact on patient satisfaction

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 237-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davor Mucic
Keyword(s):  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Subsequent Treatment ◽  
Treatment Recommendation ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Residency Status ◽  
High Level ◽  
Willingness To Use

A telepsychiatry project was conducted to improve access to culturally appropriate care providers (i.e. culturally competent, bilingual clinicians) by the use of videoconferencing. A self-completed retrospective questionnaire survey was conducted with asylum seekers, refugees and migrants. The purpose of the referral was either for diagnostic assessment with a subsequent treatment recommendation, or for treatment via telepsychiatry. The service was free of charge for the patients involved. Over a period of 34 months (starting in January 2005), 61 patients participated in the pilot project. The patients' residency status was: refugees ( n = 45), asylum seekers ( n = 12), migrants ( n = 3) and domestic ( n = 1). A total of 318 telepsychiatry sessions (lasting 35–45 min) was conducted, with an average of 5.2 sessions per patient. Nine languages were spoken during the study period (Danish, Arabic, Farsi, Somali, Kurdish, Polish, Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian). A total of 52 patients completed the questionnaire. Patients reported a high level of satisfaction and willingness to use telepsychiatry again and recommend it to others. They preferred telepsychiatry via their mother tongue, rather than interpreter-assisted care.

scholarly journals Mental health of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants: An overview of challenges and good practice examples

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 73-87
Author(s):  
Bojana Pejušković ◽  
Maša Vukčević-Marković
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Somatoform Disorders ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Psychosocial Wellbeing ◽  
Acute And Chronic Stress

In the past few years the number of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers worldwide has increased dramatically. Serbia, as a mainly transit country currently hosts over 6,000 new asylum-seekers and refugees, over 26.200 refugees and 198.500 internally displaced persons from the ex-Yugoslavia region, and 1.950 persons at risk of statelessness. Migrants are often under acute and chronic stress. Many of them were traumatized in their homelands and during their journey , due to persecution, violence, and human right violations, and they are confronted with ongoing stressors in the exile countries. Extensive research has shown increased rates and substantial variability in the prevalence of short-term and long-term mental health problems among refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. The most prevalent psychiatric disorders are depression, anxiety, prolonged grief, somatoform disorders, psychosis, substance use disorders, and disorders specifically related to stress, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder. It's urgent to offer a systemic and sustainable solutions for mental health protection, in order to reduce trauma related mental health problems and prevent long-term consequences. Multisectoral, evidence-based and multidisciplinary approach is recognized as crucial in identifying needs of these populations and enabling proper protection of their mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document