Assessment of mental health symptoms in new refugees

Refugees have a higher prevalence of mental disorders than the general population. The Norwegian Directorate of Health recommends screening for traumatic experiences and assessing mental health symptoms three months atter arrival when deemed relevant. However, it is uncertain whether this recommendation helps identify individuals at increased risk of a mental disorder. The aim of the study was to investigate whether assessing mental health symptoms and the risk of mental disorders in newly arrived refugees can help identify individuals who subsequently experience mental health problems.

We conducted a retrospective study based on the medical records of refugees who underwent a health assessment at Hommelvik Medical Centre in the period 2016-2019 and the Centre for Migration Health (SEMI) in Bergen in 2022. The risk of mental disorders was categorised as high, moderate or low. Symptoms of mental disorders were recorded during the follow-up period, which was two years and one year, respectively.

A total of 123 refugees were included in the study. Based on the health assessments, 50 participants (41 %) were retrospectively assessed as having a low risk of a mental disorder, 30 (24 %) a moderate risk and 12 (10 %) a high risk. There was insufficient medical documentation to perform a risk assessment for 31 participants (25 %). During the follow-up period, mental health symptoms were observed in 9 of the 12 high-risk participants, compared to 5 of the 50 low-risk participants.

Conducting health and risk assessments three months atter arrival in Norway can help identify refugees who subsequently experience symptoms of a mental disorder.