Mental ill health in adult refugees : A literature study

Abstract: Background: Today, there are over 65 million refugees exist worldwide and arrival of the refugees has increased rapidly in Sweden as well. Refugees and asylum seekers may be more susceptible to mental disorders because of the traumatic events they encounter prior to immigration and adverse circumstances in the new country. Aim: A literature study was aimed at exploring different kind of mental ill health among immigrant refugees and the factors that affect their psychological ill health. Further aim of this study was also to find association between mental disorders observed in refugees and the factors responsible for them.  Method: Systematic literature study has chosen to provide an overall summary of the existing researches within the subject. A systematic search for relevant literature in PubMed and CINAHL was performed and it was limited to original research articles published between 1st January 2008 and 31st December 2017.  Data was extracted from 11 scientific quantitative articles. All the articles were reviewed for quality according to Forsberg & Wengström’s review template. Results: Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and somatization are common diagnoses among refugees. Many refugees experienced traumatic events in their home country and during escape. Unfavorable conditions like violence, murder, lack of food, shelter and money affect their mental health negatively. Landing in new country can be expressed in joy, but it did not stay for a long time with upcoming resettlement difficulties such as communication problems, discrimination, unemployment, separation from family and culture. Conclusion: Depression and PTSD were most common among refugees. Unemployment and language difficulties were the main reasons for their miserable mental health. There was an association between mental disorders and the factors like trauma in the home country and on the way to new destination as well as adoption difficulties in a new country.