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High Prevalence of Symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress in Children of Refugee and Asylum Seeker Background

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Abstract

Children have been underrepresented in research into the mental health needs of refugee and asylum-seeking cohorts. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of symptoms of post-traumatic stress in children presenting to the Health Assessment for Refugee Kids (HARK) clinic at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, New South Wales, Australia. Children older than 6 years presenting to HARK between April 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016, were screened using the Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire (CTSQ). Demographic and clinical data were collected through medical record review. Of 365 children over the study period, 198 (54%) were eligible for inclusion, of whom 65 (33%) completed the CTSQ. There were 33 (50.8%) males; the median age was 11 years (IQR 8; 14). The CTSQ screened positive (score ≥ 5) in 40 (62%; 95% CI 49%–74%) children who completed the questionnaire. Children from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds in this sample showed a high prevalence of symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress and higher than previous estimates. These results emphasise the importance of PTSD screening and mental health support in this population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, Sydney, Australia

    S. Gandham, H. Gunasekera, D. Isaacs, A. Maycock & Philip N. Britton

  2. Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia

    H. Gunasekera, D. Isaacs & Philip N. Britton

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  1. S. Gandham
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  2. H. Gunasekera
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  3. D. Isaacs
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  4. A. Maycock
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  5. Philip N. Britton
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Correspondence to Philip N. Britton.

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Ethics Statement

The study had approval by the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network Human Research Ethics Committee prior to commencement (approval AU/6/AC60216).

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Gandham, S., Gunasekera, H., Isaacs, D. et al. High Prevalence of Symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress in Children of Refugee and Asylum Seeker Background. Int J Ment Health Addiction 21, 71–80 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-021-00578-z

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