The association between visa insecurity and mental health, disability and social engagement in refugees living in Australia
Creators: name: Nickerson, Angela
name: Byrow, Yulisha
name: O’Donnell, Meaghan
name: Mau, Vicki
name: McMahon, Tadgh
name: Pajak, Rosanna
name: Li, Susan
name: Hamilton, Amber
name: Minihan, Savannah
name: Liu, Candy
name: Bryant, Richard A.
name: Berle, David
name: Liddell, Belinda J.
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Cancer
subject: Science Policy
subject: 111714 Mental Health
subject: FOS: Health sciences

description: <b>Background</b>: 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. <b>Objective</b>: 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 <b>Method</b>: Participants were 1,085 refugees with secure (i.e. permanent residency or Australian citizenship, <i>n</i> = 826, 76.1%) and insecure (i.e. asylum-seeker claim, bridging visa, temporary visa, <i>n</i> = 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. <b>Results</b>: 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. <b>Conclusion</b>: 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. • Little is known about the mental health impact of prolonged insecurity in people from a refugee background.• We investigated mental health, social engagement and disability in a sample of 1085 refugees with secure and insecure visa status.• Refugees with insecure visa status reported greater PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms and suicidality than those with secure visa status.• Refugees with insecure visa status who were active members of more social groups showed lower depression and suicidality than those who reported low group involvement.• The mental health effects of visa insecurity should be considered in service and policy development.