Assessing the special need for protection of vulnerable refugees: testing the applicability of a screening method (RHS-15) to detect traumatic disorders in a refugee sample in Germany

Stingl, Markus; Knipper, Michael; Hetzger, Björge; Richards, Jessica; Yazgan, Bülent; Gallhofer, Bernd; Hanewald, Bernd

doi:10.1080/13557858.2017.1379598

Cited by 20 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Within a German refugee sample, the different language versions of the RHS-15 showed excellent internal consistencies with Cronbach's a ranging from .91 to .93, and good convergent and predictive validity (41). The practicability and efficiency of the RHS-15 have been demonstrated in previous studies (39).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Another potential bias could be the stage and long-term perspective of the individual asylum procedures. An earlier study conducted by our group demonstrated that the results of the RHS-15 were different between refugee groups immediately after arrival compared to those with a longer duration of residence in the country (39). Moreover, in the present study primarily factors that increased vulnerability were examined.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…The RHS-15 was chosen because of its high sensitivity and simple mode of application (38). Without, however, specifying this in detail, the implementation of the RHS-15 in this context has proven its feasibility analogous to a prior study and is therefore recommended for wider use (39).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This evaluation strategy was derived from the results of the validation studies by Hollifield et al (38). The overall procedure appears to be economical and easy to apply in largescale screening of the mental health status of refugees (39). Cultural sensitivity and equivalence of the different language versions of RHS-15 have been shown (40).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method Study

et al. 2020

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Unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) represent one of the most vulnerable refugee groups due to their young age, developmental status, and insufficient coping strategies. Clinical observations indicate that the frequency of mental health problems varies between different URM subgroups. In the present research project, clinical interviews as a source of qualitative data were combined with quantitative psychometric information in a mixed-method approach in order to study the patterns of mental health problems in 561 URM from four different language groups (Arabic, Farsi, Somali, and Tigrinya) immediately after arrival in the host country (Germany). Qualitative analysis obtained as differentiating categories "language, countries of origin, age, and gender"; quantitatively, the Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15) was applied. According to the positive screening results, the highest number of mental complaints was returned by children and adolescents speaking Farsi (65.9%) and Somali (65.8%). They were followed by URM speaking Arabic (49.4%) and Tigrinya (43.3%). The results were influenced not only by origin, but also by age (with higher burden among older Farsi-speaking URM) and gender (with higher burden among male URM). Although the prevalences in URM subgroups differ, the observed high rates of positive screening results in our sample of URM from Germany substantiate the need for early detection of mental complaints and appropriate mental health care for at least every second URM.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method Study

et al. 2020

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“…It is an efficient self-rating instrument which assesses emotional distress in refugees, thereby comprising symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The 13-item version shows good psychometric properties in refugee samples in the US and in Germany, comparable to the characteristics of the RHS-15 ( 8 , 9 , 33 ). Cronbach's α varied between 0.89 and 0.95 for the 12 time points.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 73%

Course of Mental Health in Refugees—A One Year Panel Survey

et al. 2018

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Background: Cross-sectional studies indicate that a substantial proportion of refugees have psychiatric disorders. However, longitudinal studies on the course of psychiatric symptoms and on influencing factors are scarce. The current study investigates the development of symptoms in an untreated refugee sample in Germany and seeks to identify potential predictors.Methods: Over the course of 1 year, 57 refugees participated in monthly assisted self-reports on the phone assessing emotional distress. At the same time, semi-annual, semi-structured clinical interviews focusing on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression were conducted. The overall dropout rate for the year was 23% for the assisted self-reports and 33% for the clinical interviews.Results: Symptoms did not systematically change over the course of the year. On the individual level, a reliable change in PTSD symptoms was observed in 13% who showed improvement and 24% who showed worsening symptoms. Figures for depression symptoms were 24 and 16% respectively. A higher number of traumatic experiences was related to a greater intensity of PTSD symptoms. In addition, postmigrational stressors were associated with a worsening of PTSD symptoms over the course of the year. Emotional distress was associated with current negative life events, unemployment, and frequent visits to physicians.Conclusions: There is on average no improvement or worsening of symptoms over the period of 1 year. However, individual courses vary, and thus show the importance of risk factors. Accordingly, the identification of risk factors such as trauma load and postmigrational stressors can be useful to determine the need of further monitoring and to provide appropriate interventions when necessary.

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Unaccompanied foreign minors and mental health: Implementation and evaluation of the RHS-15 screening procedure for unaccompanied foreign minors

Fontana¹,

Fattori²,

Trezzi³

et al. 2023

Journal of Migration and Health

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Assessing the special need for protection of vulnerable refugees: testing the applicability of a screening method (RHS-15) to detect traumatic disorders in a refugee sample in Germany

Cited by 20 publications

References 19 publications

Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method Study

Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method Study

Course of Mental Health in Refugees—A One Year Panel Survey

Unaccompanied foreign minors and mental health: Implementation and evaluation of the RHS-15 screening procedure for unaccompanied foreign minors

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