Suchergebnisse

Background: Many developed countries have introduced strict measures designed to deter people seeking asylum. Measures such as held detention, insecure visas, restrictions work and services all impact the mental health of asylum seekers. In 2014 Australia introduced a 'fast track assessment' (FTA) system of processing refugee claims for asylum seekers who arrived by boat, those found to be refugees were only eligible for temporary residence. Legal professionals play a pivotal role in protecting the rights of asylum seekers and gain unique insight into the impact of the legal system has on clients mental health. Aim: To investigate how legal professionals in Australia perceived the impact of the FTA process on their clients. Methods: Mixed methods comprising of two phases – (i) an online survey and (ii) follow-up focus groups and interviews with legal professionals involved in assisting asylum seekers in the FTA process. An inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: Survey results were obtained from 38 legal professionals. Follow up in depth qualitative focus groups and interviews were conducted with 16 survey participants. The data demonstrate that legal professionals encounter clients in complex seemingly insurmountable mental health crises including deepening mental distress and deterioration, feelings of hopelessness, defeat and entrapment. Interviewees shared compelling examples of what they believed constituted a direct connection between asylum seekers experiencing uncertainty and deteriorating mental health over time with fluctuations in hopelessness, anger, withdrawal and suicidality. These negative impacts were often compounded by separation from family. Conclusions: The legal framework for determining whether an asylum seeker is a refugee can have a detrimental impact on the mental health of asylum seekers. The mental distress of asylum seekers and refugees is exacerbated by uncertainty linked to both delays in processing accompanied by sustained and ongoing uncertainty of legal status.

This article examines the legal challenges asylum seekers arriving by boat to Australia experience when seeking assistance with their claims and its impact on their mental health. The authors outline the experiences of asylum seekers in the "legacy caseload" group who have been waiting up to four years to have their protection claims assessed. The complex interplay between legal assistance to support refugee claims and the way those making claims inevitably struggle to understand, engage and participate in the process is analysed. It is argued that provision of legal assistance for this group will be essential to ensuring that the refugee status determination process is fair and allows asylum seekers to understand and participate more fully in the process. Recent changes to the assessment of claims combined with a reduction in funding for legal assistance create significant hurdles and combine to compound existing stress and emotional trauma leading to detrimental outcomes on the mental health of asylum seekers.

While Australian legislation allows for the mandatory detention of asylum seekers arriving without a valid visa, in recent years the Australian Government has released thousands from immigration detention prior to their protection claims being finalised. This article outlines the results of interviews with eleven men who had been released into such community‐based arrangements after long periods of immigration detention. The major challenge for most of the men who had been granted the right to work upon their release was securing employment, while being denied the right to work was the major challenge for those released without this right. This article explores the social and personal benefits that employment can offer asylum seekers and refugees and the implications it has for integration into their host country.

Abstract. Background: Safety planning involves the co-development of a personalized list of coping strategies to prevent a suicide crisis. Aims: We explored the perspectives of workers regarding safety planning as a suicide prevention strategy for people of refugee background and those seeking asylum in Australia. Method: Participants attended suicide prevention training, specific to refugees and asylum seekers, at which safety planning was a key component. Semistructured, posttraining interviews ( n = 12) were analyzed thematically. Results: Four key themes were identified: safety planning as a co-created, personalized activity for the client; therapeutic benefits of developing a safety plan; barriers to engaging in safety planning; strategies to enhance safety planning engagement. Limitations: First-hand refugee and asylum-seeker experiences were not included. Conclusion: As a relatively low-cost, flexible intervention, safety planning may be valuable and effective for these groups.

Abstract. Background: There are concerning rates of suicidality among asylum seekers and refugees in Australia, and tailored suicide prevention initiatives are needed. Aims: We aimed to evaluate the impact of a tailored suicide prevention education program for people working with asylum seekers and refugees. Method: Attendees of the education program completed self-report questionnaires at pretraining, posttraining, and 4–6 months follow-up. Results: Over 400 workers, volunteers, and students across Australia took part in the education program. A series of linear mixed-effects models revealed significant improvements in outcome measures from pretraining ( n = 247) to posttraining ( n = 231). Improvements were maintained at follow-up ( n = 75). Limitations: Limitations of this research were the lack of a control group and a low follow-up response rate. Conclusion: Findings suggest that a 2 days tailored suicide prevention education program contributes to significant improvements in workers' attitudes toward suicide prevention, and their confidence and competence in assessing and responding to suicidal distress.