Barriers and potential solutions to mental healthcare access for youth refugees and asylum seekers

Abstract

Globally, over 82.4 million people were forcibly displaced in 2020, about 42% (35 million) of which are children and youth. Youth, aged 15 to 24, are highly susceptible to mental health difficulties, particularly those who are refugees and asylum seekers. Serious post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety symptoms have been seen in youth refugees and asylum seekers months after they have resettled in their host countries. Yet, they encounter numerous barriers to accessing mental health support. This infographic illustrates the preliminary findings of an integrative review conducted to determine the barriers to mental health access of youth refugees and asylum seekers as well as the potential solutions to these barriers. CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Web of Science, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, and other relevant organizations’ websites were searched for published and unpublished articles. Data from eligible articles were extracted and analyzed through thematic analysis. Findings from this review have the potential to inform future research, policy, and practice.