Abstract
Unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) represent one of the most vulnerable refugee groups due to their young age, developmental status, and insufficient coping strategies. Clinical observations indicate that the frequency of mental health problems varies between different URM subgroups. In the present research project, clinical interviews as a source of qualitative data were combined with quantitative psychometric information in a mixed-method approach in order to study the patterns of mental health problems in 561 URM from four different language groups (Arabic, Farsi, Somali, and Tigrinya) immediately after arrival in the host country (Germany). Qualitative analysis obtained as differentiating categories “language, countries of origin, age, and gender”; quantitatively, the Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15) was applied. According to the positive screening results, the highest number of mental complaints was returned by children and adolescents speaking Farsi (65.9%) and Somali (65.8%). They were followed by URM speaking Arabic (49.4%) and Tigrinya (43.3%). The results were influenced not only by origin, but also by age (with higher burden among older Farsi-speaking URM) and gender (with higher burden among male URM). Although the prevalences in URM subgroups differ, the observed high rates of positive screening results in our sample of URM from Germany substantiate the need for early detection of mental complaints and appropriate mental health care for at least every second URM.
Highlights
Unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) are distinctly different from other refugee groups because of their younger age, earlier psychosocial development stage, and deprivation from parental or any other adult's care
Almost half of the 523 URM included in the study (46.9%) returned a positive screening result, indicating that positively screened URM may suffer from at least one of the most common mental disorders, which are mainly expected to be posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety
In comparison to the general population, the observed substantially higher rates of indications for psychiatric disorders and mental health problems in refugee minors is in line with the results of a recently systematic review by Kien et al [50], who found up to a third suffering from depression or anxiety and up to half being affected by PTSD
Summary
Unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) are distinctly different from other refugee groups because of their younger age, earlier psychosocial development stage, and deprivation from parental or any other adult's care. Bean et al [7] reported higher levels of traumatic stress symptoms in URM compared to adolescent refugees who had arrived with their parents. Before fleeing from their country of origin, URM often face social upheaval and chaos in their region. They experience threats regarding their own safety and/or the safety of a family member or a close person; they may witness or become engaged in violence, e.g. witnessing murders, mass killings, or having combat experience, affecting their moral perspectives [3, 8]
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