British Journal of Psychiatry
Volume 188, Issue JAN., 2006, Pages 58-64

Impact of immigration detention and temporary protection on the mental health of refugees (Article) (Open Access)

Steel Z.* , Silove D. , Brooks R. , Momartin S. , Alzuhairi B. , Susljik I.
  • a School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Centre for Population Mental Health Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia, Psychiatry Research and Teaching Unit, Health Services Building, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW 2170, Australia
  • b School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Centre for Population Mental Health Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • c School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Centre for Population Mental Health Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • d Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors, NSW, Australia
  • e School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Centre for Population Mental Health Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • f School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Centre for Population Mental Health Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Abstract

Background: Over the past decade, developed Western countries have supplied increasingly stringent measures to discourage those seeking asylum. Aims: To investigate the longer-term mental health effects of mandatory detention and subsequent temporary protection on refugees. Method: Lists of names provided by community leaders were supplemented by snowball sampling to recruit 241 Arabic-speaking Mandaean refugees in Sydney (60% of the total adult Mandaean population). Interviews assessed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive episodes, and indices of stress related to past trauma, detention and temporary protection. Results: A multilevel model which included age, gender, family clustering, pre-migration trauma and length of residency revealed that past immigration detention and ongoing temporary protection each contributed independently to risk of ongoing PTSD, depression and mental health-related disability Longer detention was associated with more severe mental disturbance, an effect that persisted for an average of 3 years after release. Conclusions: Policies of detention and temporary protection appear to be detrimental to the longer-term mental health of refugees.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

depression refugee Australia risk mental health human immigration Refugees community middle aged protection detention injury Iraq policy Time Factors language Iran Mental Disorders interview mental disease Humans family male female stress Psychiatric Status Rating Scales leadership Article major clinical study adult gender posttraumatic stress disorder Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic disability Emigration and Immigration disease severity major depression disease association snowball sample
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-29644445589&doi=10.1192%2fbjp.bp.104.007864&partnerID=40&md5=7973f9b06ab0cd60496d5dd2bbc6a73b
DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.104.007864
ISSN: 00071250
Cited by: 201
Original Language: English