Mental health outcomes of unaccompanied refugee minors: A systematic review of current research
By Joyce Erogun, MPH Student
The topic of this dissertation is the mental health outcomes of unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs). This systematic review will summarise all relevant studies that are longitudinal in design, focused on the outcome of this population. Previous studies about URMs showed that they are a highly vulnerable group who tend to have greater psychiatric morbidity than the general population.
The primary aim is to explore the ability of mental health illnesses to progress over time in unaccompanied refugee minors, as the clear majority of research analyses the mental health of URMs at a single point in time, limiting the opportunity for complete comprehension of the harms that meet this population. Secondly, I aim to compare the mental health outcomes of URMs to accompanied refugee minor and the respective general population.
The hope is that this review will shed light on a vulnerable subgroup of refugees that may require more public health awareness today, due to the ongoing refugee crisis, than previously. For those URMs that experience latent mental health morbidities, this current approach to research practice places them at risk for not receiving supportive services that may reduce their distress. Therefore, it is imperative to conduct longitudinal research and continuously assess and examine these studies for quality and rigour.
