Risk and protective factors for refugee mental health A few main factors emerge from the varied body of research on protective factors for general refugee mental health. Firstly, there is the sense of belonging and trust in others. Immigrants with a sense of belonging both to their new country and the country of origin report better mental health overall. Meta-analysis shows that those who adopt the language and behaviour of the new country while maintaining their ethnic identity have advantages in terms of psychological well-being. Also, higher levels of trust in others may be protective. Strategies that aim to increase social capital among immigrants could potentially protect against mental health prob-
lems. Secondly, other factors associated with better mental health are social support and a comfortable financial position. Usually, language proficiency is positively related to education, labour market participation, and socioeconomic status, all factors that are associated with a lower risk of mental health problems (Straiton et al., 2019). In a literature review, Ikram and Stronks (2016) survey the risk and protective factors post-migration (see table 2 below). These factors are not specific to unaccompanied minors but rather apply to all asylum seekers, and in some cases to refugees in general.
Table 2. Risk and protective factors for general refugee mental health Risk factors
Protective factors
Personal characteristics
Personal characteristics
Older age, female, unaccompanied minors
Psychological coping, focusing on present and future (not the past), normalisation/acceptance of difficulties
Pre-migration traumatic events, torture and sexual violence Family and community networks
Family and community networks
Low social support and small networks, isolation and forced separation, conflicts in informal networks
Social support from informal network, family reunion, parental disclosure of past traumatic experiences, practising religion (praying and religious beliefs)
Social conditions in host country
Social conditions in host country
Poor host language skills, discrimination, difficulty adjusting to cultural differences, loss of social status, low current socioeconomic status,
Host language proficiency, economic opportunities, private and permanent accommodation
Conditions during asylum procedure, uncertainty regarding legal status and procedure, changes in residence, detention Mental health services underutilisation, barriers to access Source: Ikram & Stronks, 2016
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Culturally sensitive mental health services with interpretation Longer time since displacement
