Post-migratory risk factors and asylum seekers’ mental health

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine if the post-migrational risk factors, namely length of stay and number of relocations, are associated with asylum seekers’ mental health. Design/methodology/approach The review includes seven main studies published later than 2006 examining the effect of the asylum procedure on the mental health of asylum seekers. The articles were identified through the search databases PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO. A systematic search strategy based on the concepts of Patient, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome has laid the groundwork for the findings of relevant articles. Findings Two out of three articles investigating the association between number of relocations and mental health among asylum seekers observed an effect on mental health. Three out of six studies found associations between length of stay in asylum centres and poor mental health. The overall assessment of the studies indicates an effect of the post-migrational risk factors. Research limitations/implications The included studies vary in study populations, outcome measures and methodical soundness. Practical implications The review suggests that length of stay in asylum centres and the number of relocations should be considered as risk factors for poor mental health of asylum seekers and, hence, considered in the organisational procedures in the asylum process. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first review to specifically examine the literature on the association between the post-migratory risk factors, number of relocations and length of stay, in asylum centres and mental health among non-detained asylum seekers in Europe.