Asylum-seeking Parents’ Reports of Health Deterioration in Their Children since Fleeing Their Home Country. (original) (raw)
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2020
BackgroundIn 2019, a migrant camp on the Greek island of Samos designed for 650 people was home to over 5500. Migration rates from conflict zones remain high. We aimed to quantitatively describe demographics, living conditions and health needs in the reception centre community of Samos, Greece.MethodsA questionnaire was designed with reference to international humanitarian standards for reception centre following a consultative process with representatives of the asylum-seeker population. Domains assessed included demographics; living conditions; safety/vulnerability; and health. The questionnaire was piloted and then following feedback from participants, conducted in June 2019 on a sample of 500 asylum seekers attending Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) centres supporting the Samos reception centre. Results500 participants: 60.6% male, 35.0% female and 4.4% did not report gender. 79.4% lived in tents. Respondents were predominantly from Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of ...
Medical and social issues of child refugees in Europe
Archives of disease in childhood, 2016
In mid-2015, there were an estimated 20.2 million refugees in the world; over half of them are children. Globally, this is the highest number of refugees moving across borders in 20 years. The rights of refugee children to access healthcare and be free from arbitrary detention are enshrined in law. Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have a statutory medical assessment, but refugee children arriving with their families do not. Paediatricians assessing both unaccompanied and accompanied refugee children must be alert to the possibilities of nutritional deficiencies, infectious diseases, dental caries and mental health disorders and be aware of the national and international health guidance available for support.
Clinical and laboratory evaluation of new immigrant and refugee children arriving in Greece
BACKGROUND: Migrant children are a population at risk for various health problems. Despite the increased inflow of migrants in Greece, data regarding their health assessment are lacking. This study aims to describe the clinical and certain laboratory characteristics and identify possible associations in a group of new immigrant (I) and refugee (R) children, arriving in Athens, Greece. METHODS: A prospective, cross- sectional study was performed in a migrant outpatient clinic of a tertiary Children's hospital. All immigrant and refugee children, examined to obtain a health certificate, within 3 months of their arrival in the country, were enrolled. Clinical and laboratory information was collected in a pre- designed form. We applied multiple logistic regression models to investigate the association between the child's status (immigrant vs refugee) and health indicators controlling for possible confounding effects, mainly of age and area of origin. RESULTS: From 2010 to 2013, ...
Health State of Syrian Children and Their Parents in a German Refugee Camp
Health State of Syrian Children and Their Parents in a German Refugee Camp, 2019
More than 1 million Syrian refugees have sought asylum in Europe since 2011. Disastrous conditions in their country and an arduous flight increased the risk for the emergence of physical and mental problems, especially in children. We performed a comprehensive medical and psychological examination in 96 Syrian refugee children aged 0-14 years in a German reception camp. Parents were interviewed and answered questions on health, flight and living conditions. In the children, we found most frequently somatic and in particular dental problems, incomplete immunization state and mental disorders. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was diagnosed in 30.2 per cent of the children. Fifty-seven per cent of the parents reported somatic complaints; most of them were neurological (e.g. headache) and sleep disorders. Syrian refugee children show a significant rate of PTSD, somatic disorders and incomplete immunization state. The separation from family members during flight and physical complaints of the parents were identified as risk factors for PTSD in the children of our study. Early combined acute and preventive health-care management for children and their parents is indicated.
Heir, T. & Derluyn, I. (2014). The mental health of unaccompanied refugee minors on arrival in the host country. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 55, 33–37. Despite increasing numbers of unaccompanied refugee minors (UM) in Europe and heightened concerns for this group, research on their mental health has seldom included the factor " time since arrival. " As a result, our knowledge of the mental health statuses of UM at specific points in time and over periods in their resettlement trajectories in European host countries is limited. This study therefore examined the mental health of UM shortly after their arrival in Norway (n = 204) and Belgium (n = 103) through the use of self-report questionnaires (HSCL-37A, SLE, RATS, HTQ). High prevalence scores of anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were found. In addition, particular associations were found with the number of traumatic events the UM reported. The results indicate that all UM have high support needs on arrival in the host country. Longitudinal studies following up patterns of continuity and change in their mental health during their trajectories in the host country are necessary.
Child Morbidity and Disease Burden in Refugee Camps in Mainland Greece
Children
The crisis conflicts in Syria have forced a lot of people to relocate and live in mainland Greece, where they are hosted in refugee camps. In the present study, our aim was to assess child morbidity and overall disease burden in two camps in northern Greece during a six-month winter period. A primary health care office was founded in each camp. Refugees of all ages with health problems were examined daily by specialty doctors. Cases were classified into two categories: Infectious or non-infectious. In total, 2631 patients were examined during this period (out of the 3760 refugees hosted). Of these patients, 9.8% were infants, 12.7% were toddlers, and 13.4% were children. Most of the visits for children aged less than 12 years old were due to infectious diseases (80.8%). The most common sites of communicable diseases among children were the respiratory tract (66.8%), the skin (23.2%), and the urinary (3.2%) and gastrointestinal tracts (6.2%). Non-communicable diseases were mostly due...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Background: Currently, half of the population displaced worldwide is children and adolescents. Little is known on healthcare demand in underage migrants. Materials and Methods: We analyzed healthcare utilization in n = 1.411 children and adolescents living in a large German refugee reception in 2015-2016. Results: The mean age of all included refugees was 9 years (60.8% male). The majority came from the eastern Mediterranean region. During a mean camp inhabitance of 34 days, 57.6% needed primary healthcare, with a significant inverse correlation of healthcare seeking frequency with age and duration of camp inhabitance. Infants and unaccompanied minors displayed particular high demands for medical help. Discussion: Our analysis showed that pediatric primary healthcare in pediatric and adolescent refugees are most sought during the first period upon arrival with particular demand in infants, toddlers, and unaccompanied minors. Based on this data, future care taking strategies should be adapted accordingly.
Refugees and asylum seekers are defined in many ways but can be considered as those who did not make a voluntary choice to leave their country of origin and cannot return home in safety. Outcome data are limited and mostly focused on perinatal and mental health but do suggest significant levels of unmet need. This scoping review considered 72 studies where refugees and asylum seekers formed part or all of the population studied. Access to appropriate health care across the WHO European Region is very varied and is overwhelmingly shaped by legal frameworks and the regulation of the migration process. The need for improved communication with asylum seekers and coordinated action between agencies within and beyond the medical system is widely noted. Improved data to support intersectoral working to address the health care needs of asylum seekers and refugees are imperative.