Literature review on the mental health and development of child refugees and asylum seekers

The National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention today released on its website the "Psychological Wellbeing of Child and Adolescent Refugee and Asylum Seekers: Overview of Major Research Findings of the Past Ten Years", a literature review undertaken by Trang Thomas, Professor of Psychology, and Winnie Lau, a Clinical Psychology Researcher, at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Prof Thomas is an assistant commissioner to the National Inquiry.

The overview highlights key areas of consistency between international studies on the psychological well-being of child and adolescent refugees and asylum seekers. Children and adolescents in refugee-like situations are vulnerable to the effects of pre-migration, most notably exposure to trauma.

Studies show that:

* particular groups in asylum seeker and refugee populations constitute higher psychological risk than others, namely those with extended trauma experience, unaccompanied or separated children and adolescents and those still in the process of seeking asylum

* certain factors can temper or aggravate poor psychological health in children, including family cohesion, family support and parental psychological health; individual dispositional factors such as adaptability, temperament and positive self-esteem; and environmental factors such as peer and community support.

The literature review also points to international research findings which corroborate that children and adolescents living in shelters, camps and processing centres are subjected to increased risk for psychological dysfunction.

The literature review, with extensive References and Suggested Readings, can be accessed on the Inquiry website at http://www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/children_detention/psy_review.html