Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method Study
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...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00324/full |
| _version_ | 1818112334908882944 |
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| author | Bernd Hanewald Michael Knipper Werner Fleck Jörn Pons-Kühnemann Eric Hahn Thi Minh Tam Ta Burkhard Brosig Bernd Gallhofer Christoph Mulert Markus Stingl |
| author_facet | Bernd Hanewald Michael Knipper Werner Fleck Jörn Pons-Kühnemann Eric Hahn Thi Minh Tam Ta Burkhard Brosig Bernd Gallhofer Christoph Mulert Markus Stingl |
| author_sort | Bernd Hanewald |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T03:17:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-74e22f5b6c3a4f5880ab0d3e2e80b867 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T03:17:18Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-74e22f5b6c3a4f5880ab0d3e2e80b8672022-12-22T01:22:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402020-04-011110.3389/fpsyt.2020.00324497566Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method StudyBernd Hanewald0Michael Knipper1Werner Fleck2Jörn Pons-Kühnemann3Eric Hahn4Thi Minh Tam Ta5Burkhard Brosig6Bernd Gallhofer7Christoph Mulert8Markus Stingl9Centre for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, GermanyInstitute of History of Medicine, Culture, Migration & Global Health, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, GermanyGeneral Practitioner, Giessen, GermanyInstitute of Medical Informatics, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Family Psychosomatics, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, GermanyCentre for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, GermanyCentre for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, GermanyCentre for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, GermanyUnaccompanied 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.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00324/fullunaccompanied refugee minorstraumamental disordersscreeningRefugee Health Screener (RHS-15)children and adolescents |
| spellingShingle | Bernd Hanewald Michael Knipper Werner Fleck Jörn Pons-Kühnemann Eric Hahn Thi Minh Tam Ta Burkhard Brosig Bernd Gallhofer Christoph Mulert Markus Stingl Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method Study Frontiers in Psychiatry unaccompanied refugee minors trauma mental disorders screening Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15) children and adolescents |
| title | Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method Study |
| title_full | Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method Study |
| title_fullStr | Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method Study |
| title_short | Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method Study |
| title_sort | different patterns of mental health problems in unaccompanied refugee minors urm a sequential mixed method study |
| topic | unaccompanied refugee minors trauma mental disorders screening Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15) children and adolescents |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00324/full |
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