Refugees, the asylum system and mental healthcare in Ireland

O’Connell, M.; Duffy, Richard M.; Crumlish, Niall

doi:10.1192/s2056474000001082

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Working in the accommodation centres deeply affected the facilitators. It is well documented that there are significant mental health issues within direct provision centres in Ireland including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety (O'Connell et al, 2016). Invariably as the facilitators built relationships with regular participants throughout the sessions, stories and life experiences were shared, which sometimes were traumatic.…”

Section: Discussion Of Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Music facilitator experiences of working in asylum seeker centres: Complexities, dilemmas and opportunities

Kenny

2022

International Journal of Music Education

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Accommodation centres for those seeking asylum present particular contexts in which to facilitate music making. Contextual and systemic difficulties abound. An exploration of a music project within six asylum seeker centres in Ireland is presented with a focus on the experiences of the four facilitators involved. Data are presented from facilitator reflective logs, researcher observations and recorded professional development sessions to uncover the complexities, dilemmas and opportunities that working in such contexts brings. While the facilitators adopted flexible and responsive ways of working, this was not always an easy process for them. Findings reveal some struggles the facilitators had with negotiating new ways of working and ‘letting go’ that actively involved the singers in the process. This often challenged their previous experiences, beliefs, assumptions and knowledge of learning relationships and pedagogical approaches. The importance of place-based and process-centred approaches to working in such difficult contexts is thus highlighted. The study calls for professional development structures and reflective practice to be embedded within such projects from the outset. Therefore, the findings are particularly important for the design and delivery of projects that seek to engage marginalised communities in meaningful ways.

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Section: Discussion Of Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Music facilitator experiences of working in asylum seeker centres: Complexities, dilemmas and opportunities

Kenny

2022

International Journal of Music Education

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“…Firstly, insufficiently powered analysis, due to the small sample size, may have resulted in the failure to detect meaningful sex differences. Secondly, the complexity of the international protection process in Ireland may have contributed to participants suffering additional distress (O'Connell, Duffy, & Crumlish, 2016), further compounding any pre-departure psychological distress. It must also be noted that the population in this study were treatment-seeking and therefore the prevalence rates are likely an overestimation of true prevalence rates of PTSD and CPTSD among asylum seekers and refugees who have experienced torture.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD: Implications for the rehabilitation of survivors of torture seeking international protection

Hearns

Hyland

Benninger-Budel³

et al. 2021

torture

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Introduction: Rates of torture are especially high among those seeking asylum, with global estimates of forced migrants having experienced torture exceeding 50%. Torture is the strongest predictor of PTSD amongst refugee populations. This study assesses the construct validity and diagnostic rate of the ICD-11 PTSD and Complex PTSD (CPTSD) within a population of torture survivors seeking asylum in Ireland. It further explores whether this population were more likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for CPTSD than PTSD, and whether any sex differences existed in probable rates of PTSD and CPTSD. Methods: A secondary data analysis of 264 treatment-seeking asylum seekers and refugees who experienced torture or ill-treatment was conducted. Rates of PTSD and CPTSD were assessed using the International Trauma Questionnaire. Findings: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported a a six-factor correlated model consisting of re-experiencing (Re), avoidance (Av), threat (Th), affective dysregulation (AD), negative self-concept (NSC), and disturbed relationships (DR), consistent with ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD. High rates of PTSD (32.4%) and CPTSD (39.6%) were found, with the experience of torture significantly associated to the development of PTSD. No significant difference was found between the sexes. Discussion: This is the first study to investigate the validity of ICD 11 PTSD and CPTSD among torture survivors actively seeking international protection in Europe. Given the high rates of PTSD and CPTSD found among torture survivors, rehabilitation centres for victims of torture should consider CPTSD as part of their assessment and treatment programmes.

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“…Both delays in the international protection process and difficulties accessing autonomous housing have resulted in international protection beneficiaries remaining in IPAS centres for years at a time. 302 Previous research in Ireland has found that refugees have a high prevalence of psychological issues due to traumatic experiences and post-migration stressors such as insecure residency (O'Connell et al, 2016). In addition, living in the Direct Provision system has been found to have negative psychological impacts, reducing personal autonomy and self-esteem (Crosscare Refugee Service, 2018; College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, 2017; Foreman and Ní Raghallaigh, 2015;Stewart, 2006), and increasing dependency (Ní Raghallaigh et al, 2016), which can then pose a further challenge for those trying to find autonomous housing.…”

Section: Psychological Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research on the housing experiences of migrants in rural Ireland has found that employment influences a migrant's access to housing and shapes their subsequent housing trajectories (Finn and Mayock, 2021). However, it should be noted that a person's employment opportunities and their ability to engage in the labour market can also be adversely affected by the international protection system in Ireland deposits or additional income to top-up HAP payments (Bieri, 2024;Polakowski and Cunniffe, 2023;Doras, 2021;McGinnity et al, 2020;Duffy and Crumlish, 2016).…”

Section: Employmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Access to autonomous housing for beneficiaries of International Protection in Ireland

Murphy,

Stapleton

2024

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Housing plays a key role in the integration of beneficiaries of international protection (BIPs). However, past research has shown that BIPs often face significant barriers in accessing housing. Many countries provide supports to access autonomous housing as a result of this. These barriers pose a challenge for BIPs, who can find themselves with limited options to exit institutional or homeless accommodation, as well as for reception systems, which require outflow to accommodate new applicants. Understanding the challenges, barriers, and good practices is therefore a crucial element of the governance of accommodation of international protection applicants (IPA) in Ireland, as well as the integration of BIPs. However, there is limited recent research on the policies and supports in place for this group, their outcomes, and the challenges and barriers faced. This report considers the situation of those who arrived in Ireland, applied for international protection, and were granted this status. Applicants for international protection, beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTP) fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, resettled refugees, and other third-country nationals residing in Ireland are outside of the scope of this study. The report is based on desk research, interviews, and stakeholder consultation. The research found that BIPs face significant challenges and barriers in trying to access autonomous housing, and that these have resulted in over 6,000 people with status remaining in International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) accommodation as of January 2024. One of its key findings is that some major challenges are actually mainstream issues not specific to this group. Examples include severe shortages in the supply of social housing and affordable rental housing, inadequacies in supports such as the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), a lack of resources and high staff turnover among frontline workers in public services, and a lack of coordination or communication between different agencies or departments. Alongside these mainstream issues, and reflecting recent European comparative research (EMN, 2024), this study also found that BIPs experience additional challenges and barriers. In Ireland, these include language barriers and a lack of knowledge or information about the system, psychological issues arising from their background and the international protection system, and discrimination in the housing market. In addition, this study shows that many challenges in the Irish context arose from existing policies concerning this group, such as isolated reception centres, which impact on employment outcomes, mental health, access to services, and social connections. Insufficient resources for transition services, the recent IPAS policy of issuing transfers to different centres, and a lack of monitoring of the housing outcomes of BIPs once they leave IPAS accommodation also emerged as challenges. Other difficulties reported include a lack of knowledge or clarity within local authorities about the rights and entitlements of this group, as well as a lack of planning for families arriving through the process of family reunification.

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Refugees, the asylum system and mental healthcare in Ireland

Cited by 4 publications

References 5 publications

Music facilitator experiences of working in asylum seeker centres: Complexities, dilemmas and opportunities

Music facilitator experiences of working in asylum seeker centres: Complexities, dilemmas and opportunities

ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD: Implications for the rehabilitation of survivors of torture seeking international protection

Access to autonomous housing for beneficiaries of International Protection in Ireland

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