ArticlePLOS global public health2025
A systematic review of qualitative research on the physical and mental health impacts of immigration detention on asylum seekers and refugees.
Article in PLOS global public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Promoting migrant health as a universal right in the United Kingdom.BMC global and public health · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Globally, the number of refugees and asylum seekers has reached unprecedented levels, prompting many host countries to adopt immigration detention as a strategy to deter unauthorised arrivals. While previous studies have largely used quantitative methods to examine the consequences of detention, this is the first qualitative systematic review synthesising evidence on the impact of immigration detention on the mental and physical health of adult and child asylum seekers and refugees (ASR) in middle- to high-income host countries. A systematic search of medical, allied health, and social science databases and grey literature was conducted between December 2021 and October 2024 (Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, Global Health, APA PsycARTICLES, Social Policy and Practice, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Open Grey). Reference lists of included studies were also screened. The review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022328867). Study selection, critical appraisal, and data extraction were performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. Of 2,512 records identified, 564 full texts were assessed, and 20 studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 374 adults and 139 children with current or past detention experiences, with detention durations ranging from two weeks to 38 months. Thematic synthesis revealed five overarching themes: human rights violations within detention; systemic failures of healthcare provision and resultant vulnerability; adverse health impacts of detention; changes in self-concept, relationships, and worldview after release; and enduring negative consequences for mental and physical health. Findings highlight that immigration detention uniformly undermines the health and well-being of ASR, with effects persisting long after release. This review underscores the urgent need for health and human rights to be central considerations in migration policy and practice.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.