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The Mental Health of Farsi-Dari Speaking Asylum-Seeking Children and Parents Facing Insecure Residency in Australia
21 Pages Posted: 23 Nov 2021
More...Abstract
Objective: This research examined the psychosocial functioning of a cohort of asylum-seeking children, adolescents and their primary caregiver affected by insecure residency while living in the community, compared to refugees and immigrants.
Method: The project investigated the prevalence of psychosocial problems among Iranian and Afghani asylum seeker, refugee and immigrant children and adolescents, and their caregivers who arrived in Australia from 2010. In total, n=196 children and adolescents aged 5-18 years, and their primary caregiver were asked about family visa status, country of origin, level of education, parent symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (Harvard Trauma Questionnaire) and child wellbeing (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). An additional n=362 Farsi and Dari speaking children, recruited through the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) study, a national comparison sample of families with permanent refugee visas, was also included.
Results: Asylum seeker children and adolescents displayed significantly more psychosocial problems compared to those with full refugee protection and immigrant background within the current sample and when benchmarked against a national sample of Farsi-Dari speaking refugee children. Higher parental posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were a significant predictor of poorer child and adolescent psychosocial functioning. This effect was more marked in families with insecure residency.
Conclusion: At a policy level the findings raise important questions about the Australian Government’s restrictive immigration policies. Future research should examine the prospective impact of restrictive immigration policies and factors that can be used to promote better outcomes.
Funding Information: This project was funded by an Australian Rotary Health Research Fund/Mental Health of Young Australians Research Grant RG182108.
Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Ethics Approval Statement: Ethics approval was obtained from the University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee (HC16637). Participants were reimbursed $AUD20 for the initial interview.
Keywords: Refugees, asylum-seekers, children and adolescents, mental health, social policy, immigration
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation