Lancet
Volume 362, Issue 9397, 2003, Pages 1721-1723

Mental health of detained asylum seekers (Article)

Keller A.S.* , Rosenfeld B. , Trinh-Shevrin C. , Meserve C. , Sachs E. , Leviss J.A. , Singer E. , Smith H. , Wilkinson J. , Kim G. , Allden K. , Ford D.
  • a Division of Primary Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, United States, Physicians for Human Rights, Boston, MA, United States, Bellevue/NYU Prog. Survivors Torture, Bellevue Hospital, CD710, 462 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States
  • b Department of Psychology, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, United States
  • c Inst. for Urban and Global Health, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, United States
  • d Division of Primary Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, United States
  • e Division of Primary Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, United States
  • f New York City Hlth. Hospitals Corp., New York, NY, United States
  • g Department of Emergency Services, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, United States
  • h Division of Primary Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, United States
  • i Division of Primary Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, United States
  • j Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
  • k Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, United States
  • l Physicians for Human Rights, Boston, MA, United States

Abstract

Asylum seekers arriving in the USA are likely to be held in detention for months or years pending adjudication of their asylum claims. We interviewed 70 asylum seekers detained in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. We used self-report questionnaires to assess symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. At baseline, 54 (77%) participants had clinically significant symptoms of anxiety, 60 (86%) of depression, and 35 (50%) of post-traumatic stress disorder; all symptoms were significantly correlated with length of detention (p=0.004, 0.017, and 0.019, respectively). At follow-up, participants who had been released had marked reductions in all psychological symptoms, but those still detained were more distressed than at baseline. Our findings suggest detention of asylum seekers exacerbates psychological symptoms.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

detention controlled study distress syndrome priority journal depression anxiety disorder questionnaire Article reduction mental disease United States mental health human correlation analysis Self Report disease exacerbation posttraumatic stress disorder
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-10744225449&doi=10.1016%2fS0140-6736%2803%2914846-5&partnerID=40&md5=637e57e0593aec7eedc42d39bc73c6bf
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)14846-5
ISSN: 01406736
Cited by: 114
Original Language: English