The impact of a long asylum procedure on quality of life, disability and physical health in Iraqi asylum seekers in the Netherlands
Abstract
Background Refugees in western countries often face long juridical procedures before their requests for a resident permit is granted. The, still scanty, literature shows high prevalence rates of psychopathology among asylum seekers, but there has been little interest for other impaired dimensions of health. The present study is part of a community-based mental health survey among Iraqi asylum seekers in the Netherlands, conducted between November 2000 and September 2001, on the risks of a long asylum procedure.Objectives The objectives of this study were to explore quality of life (QoL), disability and physical health and their relationships with psychopathology and pre- and post-migration variables.Method Two groups of pre-stratified (length of asylum procedure), randomly selected Iraqi asylum seekers (N = 143 and N = 151), were interviewed with fully structured, culturally validated questionnaires. Quality of life was examined with QoLWHO-Bref, functional disability with the Brief Disability Questionnaire and physical health with a newly developed questionnaire. Psychiatric (DSM IV) disorders were measured with the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the relationships between the outcome measures and socio-demographics, adverse life events in Iraq, post-migration living problems (PMLP) and psychopathology.Results Respondents with a long asylum procedure reported significantly lower QoL, higher functional disability and more physical complaints. Multivariate regression shows that length of stay is the strongest predictor for a low overall QoL. In addition, lower QoL was predicted by psychopathology, higher age, adverse life events in the Netherlands and the PMLP-clusters: family issues, socio-economic living conditions and socio-religious aspects. Disability was predicted by psychopathology, higher age and the PMLP clusters: family issues and socio-religious aspects. Physical complaints were predicted by length of asylum procedure, psychopathology, female sex, adverse life events in Iraq and PMLP-family issues.Conclusion A long asylum procedure has a negative impact on the overall health situation and the QoL of asylum seekers. The situation is not only harming the affected, but also interferes with the integration process in the Netherlands or elsewhere. The findings are important for health professionals, governments and human right specialists.
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Living in asylum centres, detention centres or similar facilities with uncertainty as to obtaining permission to stay has been shown to negatively impact mental health.
“This has been shown to negatively impact mental health (Laban et al., 2008; Silove et al., 2007).”
From Refugees versus persons family reunified to a refugee: A comparison of sociodemographic factors, trauma history, baseline psychopathology and treatment effectiveness (2023) · cites this paper as Laban et al., 2008
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BackgroundInfluentialThe violence of uncertainty: Empirical evidence on how asylum waiting time undermines refugee health
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- Authors
- Laban, C. J., Komproe, I. H., Gernaat, H. B. P. E., & de Jong, J. T. V. M.
- Affiliations
- GGZ Drenthe (NL)
- HealthNet TPO (NL)
- Diakonessenhuis hospital (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Laban, Cornelis J.
- ORCID
- Komproe, Ivan H.
- Venue
- Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
- Published
- 2008-06-13
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 507-515
- ISSN
- 0933-7954 (ISSN-L)
- 1433-9285
- OpenAlex
- W2130814888
- Cited by
- 263
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 7.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Migration, Health and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration, Identity, and Health
- Social Sciences › Health › Migration, Racism, and Human Rights
- Keywords
- asylum seekers, quality of life, functional disability, physical health complaints, psychopathology, Iraqi refugees, life events, refugee integration
- MeSH terms
- Acculturation, Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Mental Disorders, Ethnicity, Female, Persons with Disabilities, Health Status, Humans, Iraq, Life Change Events, Male, Middle Aged, Netherlands, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Refugees, Sampling Studies, Social Adjustment, Time Factors, Logistic Models, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
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