The psychosocial experience of UK immigration detention

Abstract

Purpose Existing quantitative research demonstrates negatively impacted mental health outcomes for people detained in immigration removal centres (IRCs) in the UK. However, there is limited qualitative research on the phenomenology of life inside UK IRCs. The purpose of this paper is to explore the psychosocial stressors experienced by people in detention, the psychological impacts of being detained and the ways in which people express resilience and cope in detention. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with nine people who had previously been held in UK IRCs. Interview transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings Participants experienced incredulity and cognitive dissonance at being detained, and found themselves deprived of communication and healthcare needs. These stressors led participants to feel powerless, doubt themselves and their worldviews, and ruminate about their uncertain futures. However, participants also demonstrated resilience, and used proactive behaviours, spirituality and personal relationships to cope in detention. Antonovsky’s (1979) theory on wellbeing – sense of coherence – was found to have particular explanatory value for these findings. Research limitations/implications The sample of participants used in this study was skewed towards male, Iranian asylum seekers, and the findings therefore may have less applicability to the experiences of females, ex-prisoners and people from different geographical and cultural backgrounds. Originality/value This study offers a range of new insights into how detention in the UK impacts on people’s lives. The findings may be useful to policy makers who legislate on and regulate the UK immigration detention system, as well as custodial staff and health and social care practitioners working in IRCs.

Migrant health situation when detained in European immigration detention centres: a synthesis of extant qualitative literature

“…I was crying…and I was thinking, he will never understand what I am saying. You know it made me, like, very low after the interview" (Hollis, 2019).…”

“…The detention environment was found to impact mental health to such an extent that participants felt suicidal, self-harmed or attempted suicide (Arshad et al, 2018;Hollis, 2019).…”

“…And no one helped. I was so sad because of this" (Hollis, 2019). Detention staff appeared not to recognise that mental health could deteriorate in detention and in pregnancy, and women were not listened to when they expressed concerns about their deteriorating health: "I had bad experience with urinary tract infections…I used to be trafficked woman…I told officer 'please can I see doctor?'…”

Migration and Economic Inequality in Indonesia: Longitudinal Data Analysis

“…Wood & Kallestrup (2018) and Polillo et al (2018) studies revealed employment status and the quality of health as considerations for migrating. Gender and employment status are also interesting variables to be analyzed in explaining individual considerations to migrate as new information in analyzing migration compared to previous studies (Hanley et al, 2019;Hollis, 2019;Maleku, Kim, & Lee, 2019). The studies revealed that gender differences affected individual decisions in migrating, whether there were specific considerations between men and women in determining the decision to migrate or not.…”

“…Health aspects also become important from research on individual decisions in migrating, each of which is rarely revealed by previous studies (Vitale & Doherty, 2018). The research of Hollis (2019) used aspects of the psychosocial experience of immigrants in the UK as research variables. However, in that study, the aspects of land ownership and health quality were not included as determinants that influenced an individual's decision to migrate.…”