Mental health screening in immigration detention: A fresh look at Australian government data

Abstract

Objectives: The poor mental health of asylum seekers and refugees in immigration detention has consistently been reported in peer-reviewed literature internationally; however, data on the mental health of asylum seekers and refugees detained in Australian immigration has been very limited.

Methods: We re-analysed mental health screening data obtained by the Human Rights Commission.

Results: Longer time in detention was associated with higher self-reported depression scores, with female individuals being more vulnerable to time in detention than those of male gender. Approximately one-half of the refugee group who agreed to complete the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire had post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. On clinician-rated measures, one-third of the children, adolescents and adults suffered with clinical symptoms requiring tertiary outpatient assessment.

Conclusions: This paper consolidates the findings of the 2014 Australian Human Rights Commission report and it provides an argument for public reporting of refugee data.

Keywords: Australian Human Rights Commission; Harvard Trauma Questionnaire; detention; immigration; mental health; mental health screening; post-traumatic stress disorder; refugees; stress; time.