The Mental Health Effects of Migrant Family Separation

Shadid, Olivia; Sidhu, Shawn S.

doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2021.02.018

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In 2020, the US mandated the release of irregular migrant children from residential centers; however, their release was unaccompanied as their parents remained in US custody (Shadid and Sidhu, 2021 ). The intention of the forced family separation under the US’ Zero Tolerance Policy was to discourage migrant families from the Northern Triangle from entering the US (Garrett, 2020 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These children showed peer problems (21%), general difficulties (15%), and almost half experienced “abnormal” emotional problems (MacLean et al, 2020 ). Moreover, children from a similar sample demonstrated attachment difficulties, developmental relapses, and the inability to sleep alone (Shadid & Sidhu, 2021 ) . In addition, a study by Hernandez-Arriaga and Domínguez ( 2020 ) depicts testimonies of migrant children in migrant camp Matamoros.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

COVID-19 and Protracted Displacement: a Scoping Review of Migration Policies in Mexico and Central America

ten Have,

Jimenez,

Attilus

et al. 2023

Int. Migration & Integration

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

By the end of 2020, more than 500,000 migrants from Central America, Haiti, Africa, and Asia sought asylum along the US-Mexico border despite COVID-19-related travel restrictions and public health measures. A scoping review was conducted to understand the role of COVID-19-related policies on irregular migration flows through Central America and Mexico and to examine the experiences of asylum seekers traversing this region. Peer-reviewed literature, policy briefs, and commentaries were screened for inclusion, resulting in 33 documents selected for this review. This review identified three dominant themes: border closures due to multiple national migration policies, delays in asylum procedures, and increased risks to migrant wellbeing. This article argues that border closures were a punitive policy measure to deter irregular migration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for future research and policy include prioritizing the health needs of asylum seekers and advocating the appropriateness and effectiveness of immigration and public health policy.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 and Protracted Displacement: a Scoping Review of Migration Policies in Mexico and Central America

ten Have,

Jimenez,

Attilus

et al. 2023

Int. Migration & Integration

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Social adversity in native countries may lead to major premigration stress, including psychological (perceived stress) and biological stress (biological stress responses) [ 59 ]. In addition to the severe premigration trauma, migrant children may experience ongoing chronic stress and traumatization after migration, including family separation, detention and parental deportation [ 14 ]. Potential trauma associated with the migratory trip and postmigration experience can produce a lasting epigenetic memory that may affect the behaviour and mental health status [ 59 – 61 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Poor parental socioeconomic status is associated with increased risk of ASD and ADHD [ 12 , 13 ]. Migrant children may have parental socioeconomic disadvantage, have experienced severe premigration trauma, and could face ongoing chronic stress and traumatization after migration, including family separation, detention and parental deportation [ 14 ]. Migration status is a suggestive risk factor for heterogeneous psychiatric conditions [ 15 ], but the role of migration in ASD and ADHD remains uncertain [ 16 – 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migration modulates the prevalence of ASD and ADHD: a systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Migration has been implicated as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but evidence is still limited and inconsistent. We aim to investigate the relationship between migration status and risk of ASD and ADHD. Methods Electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and PsychINFO were searched to identify observational studies on this topic, from inception to February 2021. Random-effects meta-analysis models were used to pool the summary odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI), and subgroup analyses were conducted to detect possible discrepancies in associations. Certainty of evidence was assessed as per the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) guidelines. Results A total of 13 studies (6,532,546 participants) for ASD, five studies (2,875,070 participants) for ADHD, and six studies (31,158 participants) for hyperactivity were included. Overall, the pooled results indicated that migration was associated with increased risk of ASD (pooled OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.07–1.63; P for Z test = 0.010), but no association was found between migration and ADHD (pooled OR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.53–1.32; P for Z test = 0.452) or hyperactivity (pooled standardized mean difference: -0.073; 95% CIs: − 0.383–0.236; P for Z test = 0.642). Subgroup analyses further demonstrated that maternal migration was ASD risk factor (pooled OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.19–1.87), and migrant children were more likely to develop ASD with comorbid intellectual disability (ID) (pooled OR: 1.21, P for interaction = 0.006) than ASD without ID. After standardized the origin of migrants, European migrant children from Americas were at higher risk of ASD and ADHD (pooled OR were 4.13 and 1.26), and increased ASD risk was also observed in African children (pooled OR: 2.72). The GRADE of evidence was very low. Conclusions Maternal migration is a risk factor for ASD, and migrant ASD children are more likely comorbid ID. The role of migration on ADHD remains controversial, more studies are needed to assess the association between migration status and ADHD. Health care practitioners should consider screening and providing extra resources for migrant children.

show abstract

“…While the Australian government has long withheld data that would give greater insight into these issues, evidence has emerged from a range of sources. Evidence suggests that detention has a devastating impact on health, with exceptionally high rates of mental distress and disorder [2][3][4][5][6] and that levels of distress often increase with length of time detained [7][8][9]. At least two studies have utilised the Kessler 10 (K10; see below) to measure psychological distress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological Distress in Australian Onshore and Offshore Immigration Detention Centres from 2014–2018

Essex

Kalocsányiová

Young

et al. 2022

J Immigrant Minority Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examines the impact of length of detention and location of detention on psychological distress amongst Australian immigration detainees. This study employs a repeated measures cross-sectional study, utilising Australian government data from 2014 to 2018 that relied on the Kessler-10 (K10) to measure psychological distress. There were 21,703 assessments conducted which included 15,264 assessment onshore over a 5 year period and 6439 assessments offshore over a 3 year period. The mean overall K10 score onshore was 18.85, while offshore it was 24.37. K10 scores increased with length of time detained both onshore and offshore, with K10 scores offshore generally higher at each time point. The results of this study add to a growing body of evidence that suggests that length of time detained and particularly offshore detention has a substantial impact on mental health.

show abstract

The Mental Health Effects of Migrant Family Separation

Cited by 14 publications

References 10 publications

COVID-19 and Protracted Displacement: a Scoping Review of Migration Policies in Mexico and Central America

COVID-19 and Protracted Displacement: a Scoping Review of Migration Policies in Mexico and Central America

Migration modulates the prevalence of ASD and ADHD: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Psychological Distress in Australian Onshore and Offshore Immigration Detention Centres from 2014–2018

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About