Citation

Kalt A, Hossain M, Kiss L, Zimmerman C. Am. J. Public Health 2013; 103(3): e30-42.

Affiliation

The authors are with the Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2012.301136

PMID

23327250

Abstract

We performed a systematic review of literature on violence and related health concerns among asylum seekers in high-income host countries. We extracted data from 23 peer-reviewed studies. Prevalence of torture, variably defined, was above 30% across all studies. Torture history in clinic populations correlated with hunger and posttraumatic stress disorder, although in small, nonrepresentative samples. One study observed that previous exposure to interpersonal violence interacted with longer immigration detention periods, resulting in higher depression scores. Limited evidence suggests that asylum seekers frequently experience violence and health problems, but large-scale studies are needed to inform policies and services for this vulnerable group often at the center of political debate. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print January 17, 2013: e1-e12. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.301136).

Language: en