Mental health of unaccompanied asylum-seeking adolescents previously held in British detention centres

TY - JOUR

T1 - Mental health of unaccompanied asylum-seeking adolescents previously held in British detention centres

AU - Ehntholt, Kimberly A.

AU - Trickey, David

AU - Harris Hendriks, Jean

AU - Chambers, Hannah

AU - Scott, Mark

AU - Yule, William

PY - 2018/4/1

Y1 - 2018/4/1

N2 - Aim: To investigate whether the mental health of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) was negatively affected by having their ages disputed and being detained. Method: Participants within this cross-sectional study were 35 UASC, aged between 13 and 17 when they were detained. Some years later, a team of child mental health professionals interviewed them to assess their current mental health and to determine, as far as possible, the impact that having their age disputed and being detained may have had on their mental health. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV), Reactions of Adolescents to Traumatic Stress (RATS), Stressful Life Events (SLE) and Detention Experiences Checklist–UK version (DEC-UK) were administered. Results: The vast majority of UASC reported being negatively affected. Based on diagnostic interviews using the SCID-IV, self-report measures and contemporaneous records, the professionals reported a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) developing in 29% (n = 10), PTSD exacerbated in 51% (n = 18), major depressive disorder (MDD) developing in 23% (n = 8) and MDD exacerbated in 40% (n = 14). A total of 3 years post-detention, 89% (n = 31) met diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders and reported high PTSD symptoms. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of psychiatric disorder. The additional stress of age dispute procedures and detention was judged to have been harmful.

AB - Aim: To investigate whether the mental health of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) was negatively affected by having their ages disputed and being detained. Method: Participants within this cross-sectional study were 35 UASC, aged between 13 and 17 when they were detained. Some years later, a team of child mental health professionals interviewed them to assess their current mental health and to determine, as far as possible, the impact that having their age disputed and being detained may have had on their mental health. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV), Reactions of Adolescents to Traumatic Stress (RATS), Stressful Life Events (SLE) and Detention Experiences Checklist–UK version (DEC-UK) were administered. Results: The vast majority of UASC reported being negatively affected. Based on diagnostic interviews using the SCID-IV, self-report measures and contemporaneous records, the professionals reported a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) developing in 29% (n = 10), PTSD exacerbated in 51% (n = 18), major depressive disorder (MDD) developing in 23% (n = 8) and MDD exacerbated in 40% (n = 14). A total of 3 years post-detention, 89% (n = 31) met diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders and reported high PTSD symptoms. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of psychiatric disorder. The additional stress of age dispute procedures and detention was judged to have been harmful.

KW - Asylum seekers

KW - immigration detention

KW - PTSD

KW - refugees

KW - unaccompanied minors

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85044430775&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/1359104518758839

DO - 10.1177/1359104518758839

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85044430775

SN - 1359-1045

VL - 23

SP - 238

EP - 257

JO - Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry

JF - Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry

IS - 2

ER -