Knowledge of the Unknown Child: A Systematic Review of the Elements of the Best Interests of the Child Assessment for Recently Arrived Refugee Children

Os, English; Kalverboer, Margrite; Zijlstra, A. E.; Post, Wendy J.; Knorth, Erik J.

doi:10.1007/s10567-016-0209-y

Cited by 34 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…This interview may take nearly a whole day. The same counts for the second interview about the asylum motives (van Os, Zijlstra, Knorth, Post, & Kalverboer, 2017). In some other countries, for example, in Austria, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, this division between initial, screening hearings, and substantial hearing is also made (UNHCR, 2014, pp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Mental health problems may hamper the ability of both unaccompanied and accompanied children to talk about their life stories. Research on the situation of recently arrived refugee children in the host country shows that they have experienced a large number of stressful life events which put them at risk to face post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety disorders (van Os, Kalverboer, Zijlstra, Post, & Knorth, 2016). From literature about abused children, it is known that those who suffered from traumatic experiences often have difficulties disclosing their life stories to others (Anderson, Anderson, & Gilgun, 2014;Leander, 2010;Mordock, 2001;Saywitz, Lyon, & Goodman, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Finding Keys: A Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators for Refugee Children’s Disclosure of Their Life Stories

Zijlstra

Post

et al. 2018

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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The systematic review presented in this article aims to reveal what supports and hampers refugee children in telling their, often traumatic, life stories. This is important to ensure that migration decisions are based on reliable information about the children's needs for protection. A systematic review was conducted in academic journals, collecting all available scientific knowledge about the disclosure of life stories by refugee minors in the context of social work, guardianship, foster care, asylum procedures, mental health assessment, and therapeutic settings. The resulting 39 studies were thoroughly reviewed with reference to what factors aided or hampered the refugee children's disclosure of their life stories. The main barriers to disclosure were feelings of mistrust and self-protection from the side of the child and disrespect from the side of the host community. The facilitators for disclosing life stories were a positive and respectful attitude of the interviewer, taking time to build trust, using nonverbal methods, providing agency to the children, and involving trained interpreters. Social workers, mentors, and guardians should have time to build trust and to help a young refugee in revealing the life story before the minor is heard by the migration authorities. The lack of knowledge on how refugee children can be helped to disclose their experiences is a great concern because the decision in the migration procedure is based on the story the child is able to disclose.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding Keys: A Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators for Refugee Children’s Disclosure of Their Life Stories

Zijlstra

Post

et al. 2018

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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“…93 These conditions require special attention and sensible treatment by the physicians who should be mindful that this vulnerable group is particularly susceptible to mental problems such as depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. 94,95…”

Section: Poliomyelitis 120mentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Refugees' Health

Mûller

Khamis²,

Srivastava

et al. 2018

Semin Neurol

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According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 65.6 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide. Several factors have a major influence on asylum seekers' health; so, their health profile is markedly different from that of the population in the country of asylum. The aim of this study is to review the major issues physicians need to be aware of when treating asylum seekers, with a special focus on the neurological problems of asylum seekers and refugees. The major impact factors on refugees' health are linked to experiences and exposure (1) in the country of origin, (2) in refugee camps and en route to Europe, and (3) in the process of immigration into the host country and living in European asylum centers. Refugees' health is also affected by psychological problems and by infectious diseases. Additionally, chronic diseases resulting in polymorbidity, cancer, and neurological diseases are easy to overlook and demand special attention. Neurological injuries/diseases may be traumatic (e.g., spinal cord injuries), posttraumatic (e.g., chronic pain syndromes), the result of cerebral infections, or the consequences of starvation (e.g., epilepsy, ataxia, and paraesthesia). The main challenges for physicians are lack of awareness of the asylum seekers' specific health care problems, language and intercultural communication problems, as well as access and integration of asylum seekers into the health care system. The health issues of asylum seekers are manifold and challenging to physicians. Awareness of these conditions is mandatory to ensure good clinical practice for this patient population, which has a huge burden in chronic, infectious, mental, and neurological diseases.

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“…Unaccompanied children have been found to experience many stressful life events, including separation from parents, disappearance or loss of family members, persecution, life threats, and various forms of interpersonal and witnessed violence [14]. Repeated traumatic experiences put migrant children at risk for clinical or borderline mental health problems, that include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression [15–19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unaccompanied Children at the United States Border, a Human Rights Crisis that can be Addressed with Policy Change

Ataiants

Cohen

Riley

et al. 2017

J Immigrant Minority Health

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In recent years, unaccompanied minors have been journeying to the United States (U.S.)–Mexico border in great numbers in order to escape violence, poverty and exploitation in their home countries. Yet, unaccompanied children attempting to cross the United States border face treatment at the hands of government representatives which violates their inherent rights as children. The result is a human rights crisis that has severe health consequences for the children. Their rights as children are clearly delineated in various, international human rights documents which merit increased understanding of and recognition by the U.S. government. This paper calls for the improvement of policies and procedures for addressing the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children; it provides specific, rights-based recommendations which work together to safeguard the rights of the child at the U.S. southwestern border.

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Knowledge of the Unknown Child: A Systematic Review of the Elements of the Best Interests of the Child Assessment for Recently Arrived Refugee Children

Cited by 34 publications

References 65 publications

Finding Keys: A Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators for Refugee Children’s Disclosure of Their Life Stories

Finding Keys: A Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators for Refugee Children’s Disclosure of Their Life Stories

Understanding Refugees' Health

Unaccompanied Children at the United States Border, a Human Rights Crisis that can be Addressed with Policy Change

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