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Refugee children have fewer contacts to psychiatric healthcare services: an analysis of a subset of refugee children compared to Danish-born peers

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Abstract

Purpose

Studies show a high level of mental health problems among refugee children. This study examined whether a subset of refugee children living in Denmark accessed psychiatric healthcare services more than those born in the country.

Methods

This study compared 24,427 refugee children from Asia, The Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and former Yugoslavia, who obtained residency in Denmark between 1 January 1993 and 31 December 2010 with 146,562 Danish-born children, matched 1:6 on age and sex. The study looked at contacts with psychiatric hospitals as well as psychologists and psychiatrists in private practice.

Results

Between 1 January 1996 and 30 June 2012, 3.5 % of the refugee children accessed psychiatric healthcare services compared to 7.7 % of the Danish-born children. The rate ratio of having any first-time psychiatric contact was 0.42 (95 % CI 0.40–0.45) among refugee boys and 0.35 (95 % CI 0.33–0.37) among refugee girls, compared to Danish-born children. Figures were similar for those accessing private psychologists or psychiatrists, emergency room, inpatient and outpatient services.

Conclusions

Refugee children used fewer psychiatric healthcare services than Danish-born children. This may indicate that refugee children experience barriers in accessing psychiatric healthcare systems and do not receive adequate assessment of their mental health and subsequent referral to specialist services.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by the Danish foundation TrygFonden, Denmark.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health (MESU), Section for Health Services Research, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, Building 10, 1014, Copenhagen K, Denmark

    Amina Barghadouch, Maria Kristiansen, Signe Smith Jervelund & Marie Norredam

  2. Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), Karolinska Institutet/Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Anders Hjern

  3. Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet/Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Anders Hjern

  4. DIGNITY–Danish Institute Against Torture, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Edith Montgomery

  5. Section of Immigrant Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark

    Marie Norredam

Authors
  1. Amina Barghadouch
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  2. Maria Kristiansen
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  3. Signe Smith Jervelund
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  4. Anders Hjern
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  5. Edith Montgomery
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  6. Marie Norredam
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amina Barghadouch.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Barghadouch, A., Kristiansen, M., Jervelund, S.S. et al. Refugee children have fewer contacts to psychiatric healthcare services: an analysis of a subset of refugee children compared to Danish-born peers. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 51, 1125–1136 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-016-1260-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-016-1260-1

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