Abstract
BackgroundAsylum seekers display high prevalence rates of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and panic disorder due to pre-, peri-, and post-migration stressors. In contrast to the high mental health burden, health care utilization among asylum seekers in the early phase of resettlement is low. However, the early stages after migration are a particularly vulnerable phase in which psychosocial support measures are needed to prevent mental disorders from becoming chronic.ObjectiveTo identify predictors of asylum seekers’ health care utilization in the early stages of resettlement.MethodsUsing hierarchical logistic regression analysis, the variance explanation of the (1) general utilization of health care services as well as the individual utilization of (2) outpatient psychiatrists, (3) counselling centers, and (4) general practitioners was analyzed in n = 65 asylum seekers. A structured interview on health care utilization took place between three to five months after assessment of possible predictors. We defined the following three groups of predictors a) the sociodemographic variables gender, age, number of children, religion, language proficiency, b) the psychological variables sense of coherence and emotion regulation as well as c) the asylum seekers’ psychiatric diagnoses.ResultsIndividual sociodemographic factors, such as gender, age, and number of children as well as the emotion regulation strategy of expressive suppression and sense of coherence were shown to be predictive for the utilization of health care services among asylum seekers.ConclusionsLow-threshold, culture-sensitive treatment offers for asylum seekers should be established in the early phase after migration. General practitioners should be a central hub for further referrals to disorder-specific treatments.
Highlights
By the end of 2018, the unprecedented number of 70.8 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide [1]
Overall 263 asylum seekers gave their written informed consent; this corresponds to a participation rate of 84%
The main reason for this attrition was that the participants were often not available via telephone after transfer from the registration and reception center to municipal shelters
Summary
By the end of 2018, the unprecedented number of 70.8 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide [1]. A systematic meta-analytic review by Steel et al [5] revealed a prevalence rate of 30.6% for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 30.8% for depressive disorders among refugees [5]. In an investigation of the prevalence of mental disorders in asylum seekers in Germany, Bozorgmehr et al [6] found a range of prevalence rates from 6.7 to 76.7% for PTSD relative to the applied psychometric instruments and examined samples [6]. Asylum seekers display high prevalence rates of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and panic disorder due to pre-, peri-, and post-migration stressors. In contrast to the high mental health burden, health care utilization among asylum seekers in the early phase of resettlement is low. The early stages after migration are a vulnerable phase in which psychosocial support measures are needed to prevent mental disorders from becoming chronic
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
