IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v137y2022ics0190740922001268.html

Effects of the asylum process on the mental health of unaccompanied young refugees – A scoping review

Author

Listed:
  • Hornfeck, Fabienne
  • Sowade, Clara
  • Bovenschen, Ina

Abstract

A wide range of studies have shown that unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) exhibit a high risk of developing mental health problems. During the past two decades, there has been growing research interest in investigating risk factors after arrival in a host country. To date, a systematic understanding of how aspects of the asylum process affect the mental health of URMs remains lacking. In this scoping review, a systematic literature search of four databases and search engines was performed. Ten studies conducted in European countries were included in this narrative review. The asylum process as a risk factor was mainly operationalized through the assessment of asylum or residential status. Mental health outcomes ranged from standardized questionnaires to semi-structured clinical interviews. Refusal of asylum had a negative effect on the well-being of URMs in most of the included longitudinal studies as it produces a situation of instability and fear of return. However, qualitative synthesis of all the study results revealed inconsistent findings on the influence of asylum status and waiting time on PTSD and internalizing symptoms. Therefore, future studies are needed to investigate the role of factors related to the asylum process in the mental health of URMs. Both mixed-methods designs within one country and cross-country studies are recommended.

Suggested Citation

  • Hornfeck, Fabienne & Sowade, Clara & Bovenschen, Ina, 2022. "Effects of the asylum process on the mental health of unaccompanied young refugees – A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:137:y:2022:i:c:s0190740922001268
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106490
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740922001268
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106490?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    2. Bean, Tammy M. & Eurelings-Bontekoe, Elisabeth & Spinhoven, Philip, 2007. "Course and predictors of mental health of unaccompanied refugee minors in the Netherlands: One year follow-up," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(6), pages 1204-1215, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhen-Jie Wu & Yuan Lin & Jun Xiao & Liu-Cheng Wu & Jun-Gang Liu, 2014. "Clinical Significance of Colonoscopy in Patients with Upper Gastrointestinal Polyps and Neoplasms: A Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-8, March.
    2. Guian Zheng & Yuxin Li & Huishan Huang & Jinghan Wang & Atsushi Hirayama & Jinxiu Lin, 2015. "The Effect of Statin Therapy on Coronary Plaque Composition Using Virtual Histology Intravascular Ultrasound: A Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(7), pages 1-14, July.
    3. Fabio Alexis Rincón Uribe & Cristian Ariel Neira Espejo & Janari da Silva Pedroso, 2022. "The Role of Optimism in Adolescent Mental Health: A Systematic Review," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 815-845, February.
    4. Yucheon Kim & Songyi Lee, 2023. "A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Non-Face-to-Face Coaching," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-15, June.
    5. Blessing Charuka & Donatus Bapentire Angnuureng & Samuel K. M. Agblorti, 2023. "Contemporary Global Coastal Management Strategies and Coastal Infrastructure and Their Application in Ghana: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-23, August.
    6. Mohammed Ali Sharafuddin & Meena Madhavan, 2024. "Thematic Evolution of Blue Tourism: A Scientometric Analysis and Systematic Review," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 25(2), pages 533-554, April.
    7. İlkay Unay-Gailhard & Mark A. Brennen, 2022. "How digital communications contribute to shaping the career paths of youth: a review study focused on farming as a career option," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(4), pages 1491-1508, December.
    8. Karen Setty & Ryan Cronk & Shannan George & Darcy Anderson & Għanja O’Flaherty & Jamie Bartram, 2019. "Adapting Translational Research Methods to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-31, October.
    9. Mahin Ghafari & Vali Baigi & Zahra Cheraghi & Amin Doosti-Irani, 2016. "The Prevalence of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Iranian Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(6), pages 1-10, June.
    10. Elizabeth T Cafiero-Fonseca & Andrew Stawasz & Sydney T Johnson & Reiko Sato & David E Bloom, 2017. "The full benefits of adult pneumococcal vaccination: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, October.
    11. Santos Urbina & Sofía Villatoro & Jesús Salinas, 2021. "Self-Regulated Learning and Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments in Higher Education: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-12, June.
    12. Scott, Daniel & Gössling, Stefan, 2022. "A review of research into tourism and climate change - Launching the annals of tourism research curated collection on tourism and climate change," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    13. Hassan Qudrat-Ullah, 2025. "A Thematic Review of AI and ML in Sustainable Energy Policies for Developing Nations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-26, April.
    14. Natalia Hernández-Segura & Alba Marcos-Delgado & Arrate Pinto-Carral & Tania Fernández-Villa & Antonio J. Molina, 2022. "Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) Instruments and Mobility: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-23, December.
    15. Oded Berger-Tal & Alison L Greggor & Biljana Macura & Carrie Ann Adams & Arden Blumenthal & Amos Bouskila & Ulrika Candolin & Carolina Doran & Esteban Fernández-Juricic & Kiyoko M Gotanda & Catherine , 2019. "Systematic reviews and maps as tools for applying behavioral ecology to management and policy," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 30(1), pages 1-8.
    16. Uthman Albakri & Elizabeth Drotos & Ree Meertens, 2021. "Sleep Health Promotion Interventions and Their Effectiveness: An Umbrella Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-39, May.
    17. Jingyun Yang & Joseph Gyekis, 2012. "COOPER, H.M. (2009). Research Synthesis and Meta-analysis: A Step-by-Step Approach (Applied Social Research Methods)," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 77(4), pages 849-850, October.
    18. Sebastian Kohl & Jan Schoenfelder & Andreas Fügener & Jens O. Brunner, 2019. "The use of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in healthcare with a focus on hospitals," Health Care Management Science, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 245-286, June.
    19. Zhao Wei & Xu Jia & Wang Changquan & Hou Lijuan, 2022. "Roller Skating Promotes the Physical Health of Children and Adolescents - Meta Analysis," Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, Biomedical Research Network+, LLC, vol. 42(1), pages 33198-33209, February.
    20. Sibilla Montanari & Evi Agostini & Denis Francesconi, 2023. "Are We Talking about Green Skills or Sustainability Competences? A Scoping Review Using Scientometric Analysis of Two Apparently Similar Topics in the Field of Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-25, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:137:y:2022:i:c:s0190740922001268. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.