| 1. |
- Sarkadi, Anna, Professor, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Is the refugee health screener a useful tool when screening 14-18 year old refugee adolescents for emotional distress?
- 2019
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Ingår i: The Journal of Refugee Studies. - Oxford, UK : Oxford Academic. - 0951-6328 .- 1471-6925. ; 32:Special_Issue_1, s. i141-i150
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The high number of asylum seekers in Sweden has highlighted the need for structured assessment tools to screen for refugee mental health problems in clinical services. We examined the utility of the Refugee Health Screener (RHS) in refugee adolescents, aged 14-18, attending routine clinical examinations or staying in group homes/refugee centres (N=29). Participants completed a survey, including the RHS, administered through iPads in their native language. The RHS showed excellent internal consistency (α = .96) and correlated moderately with symptoms of PTSD (r=0.41, p=.025). Mean scores and prevalence rates were comparable to a study of adult refugees in Sweden. Unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) scored significantly higher (M=32.0, SD=12.9) compared to youth staying with their families (M=7.5, SD=8.2, p<.001, d=2.27). Our findings confirm that the RHS can be used in the adolescent population in Sweden. These findings moreover suggest that URMs are a particularly vulnerable group with a large burden of mental health problems.
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| 2. |
- Leiler, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Mental Health and Quality of Life among Asylum Seekers and Refugees Living in Refugee Housing Facilities in Sweden
- 2019
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Ingår i: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. - : Springer. - 0933-7954 .- 1433-9285. ; 54:5, s. 543-551
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2015, there was a high influx of refugees to Sweden, creating an extreme situation where individuals were forced to remain in large housing facilities for long periods. The present study aims to describe the mental health and quality of life of these individuals. Methods. Data, based on 510 individuals, were obtained by means of a questionnaire at open screenings conducted at or nearby refugee housing facilities. Of the participating refugees, 367 were asylum seekers and 143 had received a residence permit but were still awaiting a more permanent housing solution. The questionnaire included measures of depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), symptoms of anxiety (GAD-7), risk of having post traumatic stress disorder (PC-PTSD), and quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF).Results. Of the total sample, 56-58.4% reported clinically significant levels of symptoms of depression, anxiety and risk of having PTSD. Prevalence estimates were higher among asylum seekers than among those who had received their residence permit. Quality of life was generally rated below population norms and correlated negatively with mental health outcomes.Conclusions. Individuals residing in refugee housing facilities show high levels of psychological distress and rate their quality of life as low. Asylum seekers score higher than those having received a residence permit. These results are troublesome since the wait time for asylum decisions has lengthened considerably after 2015. The results of the present study calls for the urgency of societal actions to shorten the asylum process wait time and improve conditions at the housing facilities.
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| 3. |
- Leiler, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Suicidal ideation and severity of distress among refugees residing in asylum accommodations in Sweden
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 16:15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Refugees worldwide suffer high levels of distress and are at increased risk for death by suicide. The Refugee Health Screener (RHS) was developed to screen for emotional distress among refugees and can be used to assess distress severity. This paper examines the association between distress severity and suicidal ideation in a sample of refugees residing in asylum accommodations. Data from the RHS and item 9 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was analyzed. Results showed that individuals at moderate and severe levels of distress were much more likely to exhibit suicidal ideation than individuals with low levels of distress. Even though we cannot conclude that individuals with low levels of distress do not have thoughts of ending their lives, further suicide assessment is warranted in asylum seekers with moderate to severe distress on the RHS.
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