Spira Janelle, Katsampa Dafni, Wright Hannah, Komolafe Kemi
University of Hertfordshire, UK.
Helen Bamber Foundation, UK.
Soc Sci Med. 2025 Mar;368:117814. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.117814. Epub 2025 Feb 4.
Housing is a post-migration risk factor that impacts asylum seekers' health; however, the way in which housing impacts asylum seekers' mental health has not been systematically examined. This systematic literature review identified 21 studies and analysed the data using narrative synthesis. The review found that poor living conditions adversely impact asylum seekers' mental health with some types of housing being more detrimental for mental health than others. Collective housing and detention were identified as particularly harmful for mental health, with detention being highlighted as the worst type of housing associated with the highest levels of self-harm. Private housing and community housing were identified as better alternatives that could improve mental health. Three themes explained why housing impacts asylum seekers' mental health: lack of autonomy, feeling unsafe, and lack of support. Policy implications include the need to safely house all asylum seekers, particularly the most vulnerable asylum seekers. Collective housing and detention should be avoided, as these types of housing harm mental health. Clinical interventions should go beyond psychiatric treatment and target psychosocial wellbeing, addressing issues of social isolation and supporting asylum seekers to manage psychosocial difficulties, including housing problems.
住房是移民后的一个风险因素，会影响寻求庇护者的健康；然而，住房影响寻求庇护者心理健康的方式尚未得到系统研究。这项系统的文献综述确定了21项研究，并使用叙述性综合分析法对数据进行了分析。该综述发现，恶劣的生活条件会对寻求庇护者的心理健康产生不利影响，某些类型的住房对心理健康的危害比其他类型更大。集体住房和拘留被认为对心理健康特别有害，拘留被强调为与最高自残率相关的最糟糕的住房类型。私人住房和社区住房被认为是可以改善心理健康的更好选择。三个主题解释了住房为何会影响寻求庇护者的心理健康：缺乏自主权、感到不安全和缺乏支持。政策影响包括需要为所有寻求庇护者提供安全的住房，特别是最脆弱的寻求庇护者。应避免集体住房和拘留，因为这些类型的住房会损害心理健康。临床干预应超越精神病治疗，针对心理社会福祉，解决社会隔离问题，并支持寻求庇护者应对心理社会困难，包括住房问题。
