Dataset Information

Underutilisation of psychiatric care among refugee adolescents in Stockholm.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

Refugee children have been shown to underutilise psychiatric services in Scandinavia. The aim of this study was to investigate determinants of psychiatric care utilisation in adolescents in refugee families.

Methods

The study used regional data on healthcare use linked to sociodemographic data from national registers in a total population of 93 537 adolescents in the Stockholm County born in 1995-2000, including 18 831 with a refugee background. Cox regression analyses were fitted to estimate Hazard ratios (HRs) of psychiatric care utilisation in the age-span 11-18 years.

Results

Psychiatric care use was lower in the large majority of adolescents in refugee families that originated in low- and middle-income countries, with adjusted HRs 0.34 (95% CI 0.28-0.42) and 0.51 (95% CI 0.46-0.56), respectively, compared with the Swedish majority population. Among the foreign-born refugee adolescents, psychiatric care use increased with duration of residence in Sweden and was higher in children who obtained residency as asylum seekers compared with those who settled in family reunification.

Conclusion

Adolescents in newly settled refugee families with a background in low- and middle-income countries should be a priority in mental health assessment of refugee children and referral to psychiatric care facilitated for children in need.

SUBMITTER: Berg L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7891333 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Underutilisation of psychiatric care among refugee adolescents in Stockholm.

Berg Lisa L Ljunggren Gunnar G Hjern Anders A

Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) 20200819 2

<h4>Aim</h4>Refugee children have been shown to underutilise psychiatric services in Scandinavia. The aim of this study was to investigate determinants of psychiatric care utilisation in adolescents in refugee families.<h4>Methods</h4>The study used regional data on healthcare use linked to sociodemographic data from national registers in a total population of 93 537 adolescents in the Stockholm County born in 1995-2000, including 18 831 with a refugee background. Cox regression analyses were fi ...[more]

PMID: 32762094

Similar Datasets

Project description:BACKGROUND:Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children of all ages. Prevention strategies require knowledge of risk factors, and behavior and psychiatric disorders have been suggested to influence the risk of injury during childhood. While externalizing disorders have been found to increase the risk for injuries, results are mixed regarding internalizing disorders, such as affective and anxiety conditions, and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). There is a need for large scale studies relying on robust data sources. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between psychiatric disorders and injuries requiring medical attention, in a large population-based cohort of 350,000 children and adolescents in Sweden. METHODS:Data were obtained from the regional health care database Vega. Psychiatric diagnoses and injury diagnoses obtained during 2014-2018 for individuals aged 0-17?years in 2016 were extracted. Descriptive statistics were used to examine differences in 5-year injury prevalence between children with and without different psychiatric diagnoses. Logistic regression was used in age-stratified models to test the association between psychiatric diagnoses and injuries requiring medical attention. RESULTS:The results show an increased risk for concurrent injuries in general, but the patterns vary by age and psychiatric disorder. Externalizing disorders and anxiety conditions were associated with concurrent injuries, while individuals with ASD had a lower risk for most injuries included. Affective disorders were associated with an increased risk for wounds, concussion, complications and poisoning, while the risk for fractures was decreased. Self-inflicted injury was more common in all psychiatric conditions investigated during adolescence, except for ASD. Children and adolescents with many types of psychiatric disorders were also at increased risk for a concurrent maltreatment diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS:A general pattern of increased risk for concurrent injuries in children and adolescents with most psychiatric diagnoses was found, but the associations vary by age and type of psychiatric disorder. The results add to the literature on risk factors for injuries in children and adolescents, supporting diagnosis specific patterns. Several psychiatric diagnoses were associated with a marked increase in injury risk, indicating a high burden of disease for affected individuals.

Dataset Information

Underutilisation of psychiatric care among refugee adolescents in Stockholm.

Aim

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Underutilisation of psychiatric care among refugee adolescents in Stockholm.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets