Mental Health and Wellbeing of Refugees, Migrants and Asylum Seekers in Serbia

Abstract

By the end of 2022, 108 million people worldwide were forced to leave their home countries due to war, exile, or other threats to their safety. In transit, refugees face many stressful and traumatic experiences and travel in difficult conditions, which puts them at risk of developing psychological difficulties. Therefore, the aim of this study is to gain an insight into psychological difficulties, but also into indicators of the positive psychological functioning of the refugees; as well as comparison with the results obtained in previous years so as to be able to understand trends, and provide evidence-based guidelines for the improvement of policies and practices for the protection of refugee mental health. The research results showed that 87% of refugees were identified as psychologically vulnerable, whereof 61% were highly vulnerable, meaning that they require some sort of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services. Also, 67% of refugees were under acute distress, meaning they require intervention in a crisis or psychological first aid, after which it would be important to continue monitoring their condition and refer them to adequate interventions. Additionally, 39% of respondents were identified as depressed, 16% as anxious, and 21% had the symptoms of severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These data show an increase in psychological vulnerability and depression compared to the previous year, with a slight decrease in anxiety and PTSD, as well as stagnation in the frequency of persons under acute distress. People who had experienced pushback stood out as particularly psychologically vulnerable, as well as refugees who have just crossed the border and entered Serbia, those who plan to continue their journey to the destination country, and younger refugees. Nevertheless, the results show relative preservation of positive psychological functioning indicators – e.g. 85% of refugees reported that they are optimistic about the future, 83% believe they can achieve great things in life, and approximately half of them have preserved coping capacities. Based on these results, we gave evidence-based recommendations for the improvement of policies and practices for refugee mental health protection.