The DOI matches its Crossref record; 145 of the 149 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Perceptions of mental health and perceived barriers to mental health help-seeking amongst refugees: A systematic review
Abstract
Despite elevated rates of psychological disorders amongst individuals from a refugee background, levels of mental health help-seeking in these populations are low. There is an urgent need to understand the key barriers that prevent refugees and asylum-seekers from accessing help for psychological symptoms. This review synthesises literature examining perceptions of mental health and barriers to mental health help-seeking in individuals from a refugee background. Our analysis, which complies with PRISMA reporting guidelines, identified 62 relevant studies. Data extraction and thematic analytic techniques were used to synthesise findings from quantitative (n = 26) and qualitative (n = 40) studies. We found that the salient barriers to help-seeking were: (a) cultural barriers, including mental health stigma and knowledge of dominant models of mental health; (b) structural barriers, including financial strain, language proficiency, unstable accommodation, and a lack of understanding of how to access services, and (c) barriers specific to the refugee experience, including immigration status, a lack of trust in authority figures and concerns about confidentiality. We discuss and contextualise these key themes and consider how these findings can inform the development of policies and programs to increase treatment uptake and ultimately reduce the mental health burden amongst refugees and asylum-seekers.
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“- Uncertainty related to when they can continue their journeys safely, what their futures may hold, the possibility of reuniting with family members, the outcome of their asylum request, and the chance to integrate into society. This state of 'not knowing' heavily influences their thoughts and feelings, negatively impacting their psychological state (Participant 7; Byrow et al., 2020).”
From Border Pushbacks in Greece: Human Rights Violations and Psychological Impacts (2024) · cites this paper as Byrow et al., 2020
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Metadata
- Authors
- Byrow, Y., Pajak, R., Specker, P., & Nickerson, A.
- Affiliations
- UNSW Sydney (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Byrow, Yulisha
- Venue
- Clinical Psychology Review
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-02
- Volume
- 75
- Pages
- 101812
- ISSN
- 0272-7358 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2997387113
- Cited by
- 345
- References
- 149
- Citations by year
- 2026: 34 · 2025: 60 · 2024: 88 · 2023: 56 · 2022: 66 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 6
- FWCI
- 4.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Clinical Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- BeyondBlue research grant (CLT:7237)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Migration, Health and Trauma
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Social Sciences › Law › Migration, Racism, and Human Rights
- Keywords
- refugees, asylum seekers, mental health help-seeking, help-seeking barriers, mental health stigma, cultural barriers, structural barriers, financial stress, language barriers, immigration status, confidentiality concerns, mental health perceptions, mental illness
- MeSH terms
- Mental Disorders, Health Services Accessibility, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Mental Health, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Refugees, Social Stigma
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