In their own words: a synthesis of the qualitative research on the experiences of adults seeking asylum. A systematic review of qualitative findings in forced migration

Abstract

Quantitative research indicates that some forced migrants have mental health needs. Asylum seekers are a group of forced migrants applying for asylum status in a host country, and are often subject to rights restrictions and threat of deportation, though little is known about subjective experiences of the asylum journey and process of claiming asylum. The current paper therefore describes a systematic review of the qualitative literature, examining asylum seekers experiences of asylum journey, from country of origin, to arrival and adaptation to host countries. A search of four databases yielded 122 studies. Inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied and 15 studies were retained and critically appraised. The country where research was conducted, study aims, sample characteristics and methodological approaches were all critically reviewed for included studies. Study aims fell into four themes; 'an aspect of the asylum seeker journey'; 'psychological distress and wellbeing'; 'cultural identity and adaptation to new environment' and 'social welfare, employment and housing'. Studies were generally high quality and indicate issues around choice of asylum destination, distress created by uncertainty around asylum decision and hostile reactions of host communities. However, few studies have examined the experiences of asylum seekers specifically, which is important given the unique circumstances of this population.

A qualitative exploration of post-migration stressors and psychosocial well-being in two asylum reception centres in Belgium

“…These include poor living conditions, impaired communications, a lengthy asylum application process, isolation and dependency. Other research findings suggest that such post-migration experiences indeed contribute to psychological burden and exacerbate mental health j INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIGRATION, HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE j issues (Carswell et al, 2011;Crepet et al, 2017;Giacco et al, 2018;Hassan et al, 2016;Hoare et al, 2017). Ensuring mental well-being for asylum seekers requires that post-migration stressors associated with developing depression or other mental disorders are identified and mitigated (Miller and Rasmussen, 2010;WHO, 2018).…”

A Systematic Review of Autobiographical Memory and Mental Health Research on Refugees and Asylum Seekers

“…However, we noticed a lack of systematic reviews of research investigating the link between autobiographical memory and mental health among refugee and asylum-seeking people. We also found that there are only a few reviews (45,46) that followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement guidelines. The current review is an attempt to fill these gaps.…”

“…A recent systematic review reported the mental health status of Rohingya refugee people and the language and service-related challenges they face in camps in Bangladesh (45). Several reviews also focus exclusively on autobiographical memories of displaced people, such as two recently published reviews on memories of unaccompanied refugee children (14) and adult asylum seekers' subjective experiences of their migration journeys and resettlement processes (46). There also exists a review on the accuracy of autobiographical memories of asylum seekers (47).…”

Food for teens: how social media is associated with adolescent eating outcomes

“…Adolescence is a complex lifestage that necessitates its own special focus. Adolescents increasingly make choices independent from their parents (29) ; they experience and exert more peer influence (30) and are exposed to more (social) media and advertising compared with younger children (18,31) . Furthermore, adolescents are particularly susceptible to the influence of unhealthy food norms on social media (31,32) .…”

“…Furthermore, adolescents are particularly susceptible to the influence of unhealthy food norms on social media (31,32) . This is due to the larger social networks they live in compared with children (30) and an increased use of social media (together with a decrease in parental mediation of this media consumption (29) ). Consequently, an adolescent is influenced more by external factors including the norms set by the media and food marketing as compared with children under 11 years of age (29) .…”