The association between visa insecurity and mental health, disability and social engagement in refugees living in Australia

Nickerson, A; Byrow, Y; O’Donnell, M; Mau, V; McMahon, T; Pajak, R; Li, S; Hamilton, A; Minihan, S; Liu, C; Bryant, RA; Berle, D; Liddell, BJ

The association between visa insecurity and mental health, disability and social engagement in refugees living in Australia

Nickerson, A Byrow, Y O’Donnell, M Mau, V McMahon, T Pajak, R Li, S Hamilton, A Minihan, S Liu, C Bryant, RA Berle, D

Liddell, BJ

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2019, 10 (1)
Issue Date:: 2019-12-31

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Nickerson, A	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Byrow, Y	en_US
dc.contributor.author	O’Donnell, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Mau, V	en_US
dc.contributor.author	McMahon, T	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Pajak, R	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Li, S	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hamilton, A	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Minihan, S	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Liu, C	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Bryant, RA	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Berle, D https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4861-2220	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Liddell, BJ	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2020-03-24T04:32:31Z
dc.date.available	2019-10-02	en_US
dc.date.available	2020-03-24T04:32:31Z
dc.date.issued	2019-12-31	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2019, 10 (1)	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	2000-8198	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/139493
dc.description.abstract	© 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Background: The vast majority of the world’s refugees and people seeking asylum live in a state of sustained displacement. Little is known, however, about the mental health impact of prolonged insecurity. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between insecure visa status and mental health, suicidality, disability and social engagement in a sample of refugees and asylum-seekers living in Australia Method: Participants were 1,085 refugees with secure (i.e. permanent residency or Australian citizenship, n = 826, 76.1%) and insecure (i.e. asylum-seeker claim, bridging visa, temporary visa, n = 259, 23.9%) visa status who had arrived in Australia since January 2011, and were from Arabic, Farsi, Tamil or English-speaking backgrounds. Participants completed an online survey assessing pre- and post-migration experiences, mental health, disability and social engagement. Results: Results indicated that, after controlling for background factors, refugees with insecure visas had significantly greater PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, thoughts of being better off dead and suicidal intent compared to those with secure visas. There were no group differences in disability. Refugees with insecure visas received support from significantly more groups in the Australian community than those with secure visas. Further, refugees with insecure visa status who had low group membership showed greater depression symptoms and suicidal intent than those with secure visa status who had low group membership. Conclusion: Findings highlight the negative mental health consequences of living in a state of protracted uncertainty for refugees and people seeking asylum, and the key role of social engagement in influencing mental health amongst insecure visa holders. Results also underscore the importance of designing and implementing policies and services that facilitate improved mental health for those with visa insecurity.	en_US
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP160100670
dc.relation.ispartof	European Journal of Psychotraumatology	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1080/20008198.2019.1688129	en_US
dc.title	The association between visa insecurity and mental health, disability and social engagement in refugees living in Australia	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	10	en_US
utslib.for	1103 Clinical Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	1701 Psychology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Graduate School of Health
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.issue	1	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	10	en_US

Abstract:

© 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Background: The vast majority of the world’s refugees and people seeking asylum live in a state of sustained displacement. Little is known, however, about the mental health impact of prolonged insecurity. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between insecure visa status and mental health, suicidality, disability and social engagement in a sample of refugees and asylum-seekers living in Australia Method: Participants were 1,085 refugees with secure (i.e. permanent residency or Australian citizenship, n = 826, 76.1%) and insecure (i.e. asylum-seeker claim, bridging visa, temporary visa, n = 259, 23.9%) visa status who had arrived in Australia since January 2011, and were from Arabic, Farsi, Tamil or English-speaking backgrounds. Participants completed an online survey assessing pre- and post-migration experiences, mental health, disability and social engagement. Results: Results indicated that, after controlling for background factors, refugees with insecure visas had significantly greater PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, thoughts of being better off dead and suicidal intent compared to those with secure visas. There were no group differences in disability. Refugees with insecure visas received support from significantly more groups in the Australian community than those with secure visas. Further, refugees with insecure visa status who had low group membership showed greater depression symptoms and suicidal intent than those with secure visa status who had low group membership. Conclusion: Findings highlight the negative mental health consequences of living in a state of protracted uncertainty for refugees and people seeking asylum, and the key role of social engagement in influencing mental health amongst insecure visa holders. Results also underscore the importance of designing and implementing policies and services that facilitate improved mental health for those with visa insecurity.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/139493