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The effects of traumatic experiences during transit and pushback on the mental health of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants
Open accessAbstract
Background: There are 26 million people recognised as refugees worldwide. Many of them spent a prolonged period of time in transit – time after they leave their country of origin and before they reach the receiving country. Transit brings numerous protection and mental health risks refugees are exposed to.Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the stressful and traumatic experiences refugees are exposed to during transit, with a special focus on the experience of pushback – the denial of access to the territory to foreign nationals and forcible return to countries of origin or neighbouring countries without an assessment of their rights to international protection, as well as the impact of these experiences on refugees’ mental health and well-being.Method: 201 refugees currently residing in Serbia completed the Stressful and Traumatic Experiences in Transit questionnaire – short version (SET-SF), questionnaire for assessing stressful and traumatic experiences during pushback (SET-SF PB), Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15), and Well-being index (WHO-5).Results: The results showed that refugees experience a large number of stressful and traumatic events (M = 10.27, SD = 4.85). In addition, half of the participants experience severe symptoms of depression (50.7%), while about a third of the participants experience severe symptoms of anxiety (37.8%) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (32.3%). Refugees who experienced pushback showed overall higher levels of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Traumatic experiences during transit and pushback were positively related to the severity of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. In addition, traumatic experiences during pushback showed an incremental contribution in predicting refugees’ mental health difficulties over and above traumatic experiences in transit.Conclusions: This study provides valuable insights into the multiple risks refugees are exposed to and emphasise the need for the provision of adequate protection and support.
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“Systematic neglect and repeated human rights violations at the borders have exacerbated mental health challenges among migrants, intensifying the crisis (Markovic et al., 2023).”
From Border Pushbacks in Greece: Human Rights Violations and Psychological Impacts (2024) · cites this paper as Markovic et al., 2023
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“Greece's systematic neglect of the violations at its borders has profound and damaging effects on the psychological well-being of people on the move (Markovic et al., 2023).”
From Border Pushbacks in Greece: Human Rights Violations and Psychological Impacts (2024) · cites this paper as Markovic et al., 2023
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“Moreover, violations of these fundamental rights often lead to deteriorating physical and mental health among those affected (Markovic et al., 2023).”
From Border Pushbacks in Greece: Human Rights Violations and Psychological Impacts (2024) · cites this paper as Markovic et al., 2023
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“With the increased occurrence of maritime pushbacks in recent years, traumatic experiences such as life-threatening situations, psychological and physical violence, and neglected medical needs have also risen significantly (Markovic et al., 2023).”
From Border Pushbacks in Greece: Human Rights Violations and Psychological Impacts (2024) · cites this paper as Markovic et al., 2023
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“Furthermore, individuals who have experienced pushback tended to be more psychologically vulnerable than those who have not (Markovic et al., 2023).”
From Border Pushbacks in Greece: Human Rights Violations and Psychological Impacts (2024) · cites this paper as Markovic et al., 2023
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“Similarly, Markovic et al. (2023) found heightened levels of depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms among individuals who have experienced and survived these border pushbacks.”
From Border Pushbacks in Greece: Human Rights Violations and Psychological Impacts (2024) · cites this paper as Markovic et al., 2023
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Border Pushbacks in Greece: Human Rights Violations and Psychological Impacts
Nikolaeva, S. (2024) · Glocality · doi:10.5334/glo.79 · Cited by 1
Metadata
- Authors
- Vukčević Marković, M., Bobić, A., & Živanović, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, Laboratory for Research of Individual Differences, Belgrade, Serbia
- Psychosocial Innovation Network (RS)
- University of Belgrade (RS)
- Venue
- European Journal of Psychotraumatology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2023-01-23
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 2163064-2163064
- ISSN
- 2000-8066 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9873274
- OpenAlex
- W4317737832
- Cited by
- 41
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 2
- FWCI
- 11.95
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- European Journal of Psychotraumatology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Faculty of Philosophy (University of Belgrade) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Open Society Foundation
- University of Belgrade
- Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Migration, Health and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration and Exile Studies
- Social Sciences › Law › Migration, Racism, and Human Rights
- Keywords
- refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, pushbacks, transit, traumatic events, mental health, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, well-being, forced return, international protection, Serbia
- MeSH terms
- Anxiety Disorders, Humans, Mental Health, Refugees, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Transients and Migrants
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