title: Psychiatric symptoms associated with brief detention of adult asylum seekers in Canada.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between brief detention and psychiatric symptom levels among adult asylum seekers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 were used to assess psychiatric symptoms and premigration trauma exposure in 122 detained and 66 nondetained adult asylum seekers in Montreal and Toronto.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a mean detention of 31 days, the proportion of asylum seekers scoring above clinical cutpoints was significantly higher in the detained than the nondetained group for posttraumatic stress (χ² = 4.117, df = 1, P = 0.04), depression (χ² = 13.813, df = 1, P < 0.001), and anxiety (χ² = 4.567, df = 1, P = 0.03) symptoms. Hierarchical multiple regression models showed that posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety symptom levels were significantly higher among detained asylum seekers than among the nondetained comparison group, taking into account previous trauma and demographics. Incremental F was significant for the addition of detention status for all 3 models, indicating that detention contributed to increased symptom levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For asylum seekers, even brief detention is associated with increased psychiatric symptoms. Governments should consider the many viable alternatives to incarceration of asylum seekers, such as temporary placement in a supervised residential facility, to minimize the risks of psychological harm to this vulnerable population.
authors.affiliation: Centre de santé et de services sociaux de la Montagne and Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. janet.cleveland@mail.mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cleveland
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rousseau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D002170:Canada; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012036:Refugees / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: asylum seekers; depression; detention; posttraumatic stress; trauma