During the last decade there was a gentle enhance within the numbers of forcibly displaced folks worldwide (UNHCR, 2024b). Folks searching for asylum are those that have been displaced or migrated to a different nation and have made a declare to be “recognised as a refugee below the Refugee Conference and obtain safety and help” (House Workplace, 2024). The the reason why folks search asylum are diverse and infrequently advanced, however examples of drivers embrace conflict and battle, human rights abuses, persecution, and pure disasters (Hassan, 2022). In 2024, there have been 8.4 million folks searching for asylum worldwide, which was a 21.8% enhance on the earlier 12 months (UNHCR, 2024a).
The challenges that folks searching for asylum and refugees face can have a damaging impression on their psychological well being. Proof means that they expertise increased charges of main depressive dysfunction, post-traumatic stress dysfunction, bipolar affective dysfunction and psychosis in comparison with the final inhabitants (Patanè et al., 2022). They are often uncovered to danger components pre-migration or at any level on the migration journey. Nevertheless, even as soon as they’ve escaped the threats of their residence nation, the post-migration dwelling state of affairs of their host nation can contribute to poor psychological well being outcomes (Nowak et al., 2023). Insufficient housing is commonly a key difficulty however different components corresponding to unsure immigration standing, unemployment, monetary hardship, household considerations, loneliness and discrimination can even worsen psychological well being (Nowak et al., 2023).
The supply of housing for folks searching for asylum is one thing that every one host nations want to contemplate. In some locations, folks dwell in camp settings for a few years whereas ready for everlasting settlement. In different circumstances, folks searching for asylum are held in immigration detention centres whereas they await a call on their asylum declare. These centres are normally prison-like in nature and place vital restrictions on residents’ actions in addition to isolating them from wider society. There may be sturdy proof that being in immigration detention, and elevated size of time in detention, is related to worse psychological well being (von Werthern et al., 2018).
In the UK, the federal government has adopted insurance policies of housing folks in a spread of other settings corresponding to disused navy barracks and lodges. This matter has been the topic of heated political debate (UK Parliament, 2025) and there have been public demonstrations about the usage of lodges for this objective. On the similar time, consultants working within the discipline and medical professionals have expressed myriad considerations concerning the damaging well being impacts of a few of the momentary lodging websites used to deal with folks searching for asylum (Burnett et al., 2024; Psychological Well being Basis, 2025; Phillimore et al., 2025; Royal School of Psychiatrists, 2024; Spira et al.).
A scientific overview revealed in 2023 examined the impression of housing on bodily and psychological well being in refugee and asylum-seeking populations (Brake et al., 2023). It discovered that lack of management over their housing, not having a secure area to dwell, and lack of privateness have been key components negatively impacting on psychological well being (Brake et al., 2023). Importantly, this overview solely included research performed in high-income nations and centered on each folks searching for asylum in addition to refugees. Whereas they might nonetheless face many obstacles to accessing ample housing, folks with refugee standing are likely to have better ranges of safety and extra company over the place they dwell.
Right here, I summarise a scientific overview that centered particularly on the relationship between housing and psychological well being amongst folks searching for asylum (Spira et al., 2025). Word that I check with “folks searching for asylum” as an alternative of “asylum seekers” all through this text, because the latter is taken into account by some to be dehumanising terminology (Refugee Council).
Folks searching for asylum could also be held in immigration detention centres which might have profound impacts on psychological well being.
Strategies
Spira and colleagues undertook a scientific overview of the scientific and gray literature that had been revealed on this matter since a earlier overview performed in 2017 (Ziersch & Due, 2018). The authors requested the next questions:
- Main analysis query: What’s the relationship between housing and the psychological well being of individuals searching for asylum?
- Secondary analysis query: What are the related points of housing that impression the psychological well being of individuals searching for asylum?
Research have been solely included if their individuals have been searching for asylum; folks from different migrant populations, together with refugees, have been excluded. Research have been additionally included in the event that they made any consideration of housing, any consideration of psychological well being, have been revealed between January 2017 and Could 2023, and have been written within the English language. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research have been included.
Ten databases have been searched. Each title/summary and full textual content screening have been undertaken independently by two reviewers. The standard of included research was assessed by one creator utilizing the Blended Strategies Appraisal Software.
The authors carried out a story synthesis of the findings because of a excessive stage of heterogeneity among the many included research.
Outcomes
Of the 42 full texts screened, 21 have been excluded. Research have been mostly excluded as a result of they grouped information for refugees and other people searching for asylum collectively, or as a result of they didn’t take into account the hyperlink between housing and psychological well being. This left 21 research that have been included within the overview. All research have been performed in nations within the World North besides one performed in Mexico. Completely different types of housing have been studied, together with collective/shared housing (n=13), group housing (n=8), non-public housing (n=7), refugee camps (n=3), detention centres (on-shore) (n=3), detention centres (off-shore) (n=2), and lodges (n=1). Twelve research used qualitative strategies together with interviews, ethnography and auto-photography. 9 research used quantitative strategies, with information sources starting from psychological well being service consequence measures, nationwide surveys and longitudinal research. Seventeen research solely included folks searching for asylum and 4 research included combined samples of individuals searching for asylum along with refugees or lodging centre employees. Most research centered on adults searching for asylum however some centered on particular subgroups together with dad and mom, ladies, pregnant ladies, torture survivors or youngsters and younger folks.
The authors organised the synthesis of the findings as such:
1. What is occurring?
a. Poor dwelling circumstances
- Elements corresponding to lack of area, poor hygiene, concern of illness, overcrowding, loud noises, chilly and damp have been related to worse psychological well being outcomes; exacerbating pre-existing psychological well being difficulties or being related to the emergence of latest difficulties.
b. Psychological well being difficulties
- Anxiousness, melancholy, PTSD, self-harm, suicidal ideation and sleep difficulties have been the most typical psychological well being difficulties reported by folks searching for asylum dwelling in unsuitable housing.
c. Impression of various kinds of housing
- Collective housing and detention settings have been related to worse psychological well being outcomes in comparison with non-public and group housing settings.
2. Why is it taking place?
a. Lack of autonomy
- Not with the ability to select the place they dwell, restrictions on entry to catering services, lack of privateness and considerations about not offering appropriate dwelling environments for his or her youngsters have been components that impacted negatively on psychological well being.
b. Feeling unsafe
- Sharing lodging with strangers and experiences of violence contributed in the direction of a way of feeling unsafe, that in flip negatively impacted on psychological well being, particularly amongst susceptible ladies and kids.
c. Lack of help
- Social isolation, lack of entry to group help programs, frequent transfers between lodging websites, language obstacles, stigma and never with the ability to entry public transport have been linked to poor psychological well being.
- Moreover, poor communication and relationships with lodging employees, in addition to lack of entry to well being and different professionals in some housing choices, have been contributing components.
d. Coping methods
- Inside assets (together with religion and hope) and exterior assets (together with social help and connections with the area people) have been cited as methods utilized by folks searching for asylum to offset a few of the damaging psychological well being impression of unsuitable housing.
An absence of autonomy, security and help have been cited as related points of housing that impression on the psychological well being of individuals searching for asylum
Conclusions
This overview highlighted the significance of ample housing for the psychological well being of individuals searching for asylum. The proof urged that collective housing and detention settings are essentially the most detrimental to psychological well being. The authors concluded by making coverage suggestions for the supply of secure housing preparations, particularly the avoidance of detention. Additionally they really helpful that clinicians supporting folks searching for asylum attempt to handle social isolation/exclusion and foster coping methods to handle the psychological well being impression of unsuitable housing.
Collective housing and detention settings have been discovered to be essentially the most detrimental to the psychological well being of individuals searching for asylum
Strengths and limitations
A energy of this overview is that it addresses an essential hole within the literature pertaining to a inhabitants that the authors describe as “laborious to succeed in” (though the time period “underserved” could also be extra applicable). Additionally it is a energy that folks searching for asylum have been studied distinctly from different migrant teams. Whereas this method signifies that some essential proof might have been excluded (as folks searching for asylum are steadily studied in combined samples with refugees), it’s useful to check folks searching for asylum individually, as their authorized standing and rights to providers usually go away them with much less autonomy over their housing state of affairs. The overview included each quantitative and qualitative research, offering deeper insights into the potential causes underlying the noticed associations between housing and psychological well being. Lastly, having two authors independently display research lowered the chance of bias.
A limitation of this overview is that it solely included research revealed since 2017, so readers have to retrieve earlier evaluations on this matter to establish research revealed earlier than this time. Solely English language research have been included, which can be a problem provided that many individuals searching for asylum dwell in nations the place English isn’t the predominate language (UNHCR, 2024a). As well as, just one creator assessed the standard of included research and the outcomes of the standard evaluation for every research was not reported.
The overview highlighted a number of essential limitations of the obtainable proof base. There was a dearth of proof from nations within the World South, the place many individuals search asylum (UNHCR, 2024a). There was appreciable heterogeneity within the psychological well being measures utilized in quantitative research, which ranged from formal instruments such because the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, to the prevalence of identified psychological problems, to the incidence of self-harm reported by lodging employees. This restricted the power to attract comparisons throughout research. As well as, there was restricted element offered on the cultural validation of screening instruments utilized in every context. The reporting of housing additionally diverse significantly; some research categorised housing merely as “secure” and “unstable”, which is reductionistic and once more limits the comparability with different research. Lastly, research pattern sizes have been typically small (vary 2 to 2,399) and potential confounding components weren’t all the time accounted for. Which means that the noticed associations between housing and psychological well being outcomes might have really been the results of components corresponding to pre-existing psychological problems or different post-migration stressors corresponding to extended uncertainty surrounding immigration standing, discrimination, or household help (Nowak et al., 2023). The findings ought to subsequently be thought of in mild of those limitations.
Maybe a key limitation of any overview inspecting the social determinants of psychological well being in compelled migrant populations is the propensity to turn into quickly outdated. The housing choices and dwelling circumstances for folks searching for asylum are to an excellent extent on the whim of political choice makers, which means that the conditions they face can change dramatically in a brief area of time. This doesn’t scale back the significance of conducting systematic evaluations of the literature; quite the opposite, it signifies a necessity for ongoing analysis and extra frequent synthesis of the proof base relating to the dwelling circumstances and rights of individuals searching for asylum and their psychological well being impacts.
Housing choices for folks searching for asylum can change quickly on the whim of political choice makers. This means a necessity for ongoing analysis with frequent synthesis of the proof base relating to the impression of dwelling circumstances on psychological well being.
Implications for observe
The findings of this overview help the event of insurance policies that scale back the publicity of individuals searching for asylum to dwelling circumstances which can be dangerous to their psychological well being. Focus must be positioned on making certain sanitary circumstances which can be freed from damp, entry to important services (together with these for cooking), and lowering restrictions on residents’ actions. Residents ought to have the chance to combine into their native communities and entry healthcare. Security should be a precedence, notably for girls and kids, and violence prevention methods must be employed. Coverage makers ought to heed the findings of this overview and calls from different organisations to restrict the usage of lodging centres which can be dangerous for psychological well being, together with immigration detention and quasi-detention settings. There are some teams of individuals (corresponding to youngsters, pregnant ladies, folks with psychological problems and those that have skilled torture, sexual or gender-based violence) who UK medical professionals have argued shouldn’t be topic to immigration detention (Royal School of Midwives, 2017; Royal School of Psychiatrists, 2021; Stevens et al., 2023).
Clinicians might really feel helpless to ameliorate the opposed psychological well being impacts related to their sufferers’ housing state of affairs, however they will do some helpful issues, for instance, signposting sufferers to organisations that help with community-building and occupational or instructional alternatives. Additionally they have an essential function in figuring out and appearing on safeguarding considerations for youngsters and susceptible adults. Lastly, on the stage of service provision, clinicians might take into account what methods their service may undertake to cut back obstacles to healthcare entry for folks searching for asylum, particularly those that are socially remoted.
Little question, this overview additionally requires extra analysis into this matter, particularly within the nations housing the most individuals searching for asylum, and with bigger pattern sizes. This work must be executed in collaboration with folks with lived expertise of searching for asylum, to make sure the analysis is related and moral, and enhance the chance of real-world impression.
Folks searching for asylum shouldn’t be housed in detention centres, however as an alternative ought to have entry to housing that’s sanitary, secure and permit entry to native communities.
Assertion of pursuits
Grace Crowley is supported by a Wellcome doctoral fellowship (324090/Z/25/Z). She can be a member of the Royal School of Psychiatrists Working Group for Psychological Well being and Compelled Migration.
Hyperlinks
Main paper
Spira, J., Katsampa, D., Wright, H., & Komolafe, Okay. (2025). The connection between housing and asylum seekers’ psychological well being: A scientific overview. Social Science & Medication, 117814.
Different references
Brake, T. M., Dudek, V., Sauzet, O., & Razum, O. (2023). Psychosocial Attributes of Housing and Their Relationship With Well being Amongst Refugee and Asylum-In search of Populations in Excessive-Earnings International locations: Systematic Evaluation. Public Well being Rev, 44, 1605602.
Burnett, A., Katona, C., McCann, S., Mostafanejad, R., & Yfantis, A. (2024). Mass containment websites for folks searching for asylum should be deserted. BMJ, 386, q2002.
Hassan, R. (2022). Why do folks search asylum? The worldwide context. In C. Maloney, J. Nelki, & A. Summers (Eds.), In search of Asylum and Psychological Well being: A Sensible Information for Professionals (pp. 1-28). Cambridge College Press. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1017/9781911623977.005
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Nowak, A. C., Nutsch, N., Brake, T.-M., Gehrlein, L.-M., & Razum, O. (2023). Associations between postmigration dwelling state of affairs and signs of frequent psychological problems in grownup refugees in Europe: updating systematic overview from 2015 onwards. BMC Public Well being, 23(1), 1289.
Patanè, M., Ghane, S., Karyotaki, E., Cuijpers, P., Schoonmade, L., Tarsitani, L., & Sijbrandij, M. (2022). Prevalence of psychological problems in refugees and asylum seekers: a scientific overview and meta-analysis. World Psychological Well being, 9, 250-263.
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Spira, J., Katsampa, D., Wright, H., & Komolafe, Okay. (2025). The connection between housing and asylum seekers’ psychological well being: A scientific overview. Social Science & Medication, 368, 117814.
Spira, J., Wright, H., Komolafe, Okay., & Kushnir, C. The impression of resort lodging on asylum seekers’ psychological well being: a combined strategies research. The Worldwide Journal of Human Rights, 1-27.
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von Werthern, M., Robjant, Okay., Chui, Z., Schon, R., Ottisova, L., Mason, C., & Katona, C. (2018). The impression of immigration detention on psychological well being: a scientific overview. BMC Psychiatry, 18(1), 382.
Ziersch, A., & Due, C. (2018). A combined strategies systematic overview of research inspecting the connection between housing and well being for folks from refugee and asylum searching for backgrounds. Social Science & Medication, 213, 199-219.
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