@article{ref1,
title="Asylum seeker trauma in a student-run clinic: reducing barriers to forensic medical evaluations",
journal="Torture: quarterly journal on rehabilitation of torture victims and prevention of torture",
year="2022",
author="Gallagher, Aaron and Steiner, Gabriela and Michel, Martha and Nava Gonzales, Cesar and Mendez-Contreras, Sabrina and Lu, Alice and Armendariz, Marcos and DeFries, Triveni and Barakat, Suzanne and Kivlahan, Coleen",
volume="32",
number="3",
pages="49-64",
abstract="Introduction This research, through the analysis of the case-law of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), seeks to shed light on the nexus between families of the missing' claims, their agency and State compliance with reparations. The IACtHR has a unique follow-up system in the area of reparations, where victims can directly address the judges during hearings. This paper suggests that victims' participation - before and after the judgment- pervades the legal rigidity of international jurisdictions and contributes to a better understanding of reparations. <br><br>INTRODUCTION: The number of forcibly displaced immigrants seeking asylum in the United States continues to rapidly increase. Movement from Latin America to the United States was the third-largest migration worldwide in 2017 (Leyva-Flores et al., 2019). As migration patterns change, understanding the background and trauma profile of newly displaced populations is essential to meet their health needs and aid successful resettlement. University-affiliated student-run asylum clinics conduct a growing number of forensic medical evaluations of asylum seekers and provide a vital lens to study changes in this population's profile over time. <br><br>METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of the first 102 asylum seekers receiving forensic medical evaluations between 2019 and 2021 at a university-affiliated student- run clinic, reporting demographics; trauma, medical, and mental health histories; referral patterns; and legal outcomes. Bivariate statistics were used to investigate the relationship between past trauma and mental health outcomes. <br><br>RESULTS: Clients reported an average of 4.4 different types of physical, psychological, and sexual ill-treatment per person. The current mental health burden was extensive with 86.9 percent of clients reporting symptoms of PTSD and/or depression. Clinician-student teams evaluated clients within a clinic structure deploying a continuous improvement model to reduce common barriers to forensic evaluations and promote longitudinal follow- up and referrals. <br><br>DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates the complexity of trauma exposure reported by asylum seekers, contributes to the evidence on how trauma results in mental health outcomes, and describes trauma-centred clinic adaptations that reduce barriers to forensic evaluations known to improve the rates of legal protection.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1018-8185",
doi="10.7146/torture.v32i3.130227",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.7146/torture.v32i3.130227"
}