Giving voice to refugees and asylum seekers in the UK: Experiences, challenges and mechanisms of support

McDaid, Chloe 2025. Giving voice to refugees and asylum seekers in the UK: Experiences, challenges and mechanisms of support. ClinPsy Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The United Kingdom (UK) has been described as an especially challenging environment for Refugees and Asylum seekers (RAS). In the year leading up to September 2023, asylum applications in the UK rose by 1%, while the number of individuals granted refugee status saw an increase of over a third. There is a known increased prevalence of mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD (CPTSD), prolonged grief disorder (PGD), and anxiety and depression in RAS. The Home Office and National Health Service are recognising the importance of integrated care across services, including the collaboration with third sector organisations (TSOs), to provide accessible and culturally sensitive support for RAS. There are two aims of this research: 1) to review the existing literature on experiences of RAS in the UK; and 2) to evaluate the implementation of a group-delivered intervention for RAS. The first paper is a systematic review that aimed to synthesise qualitative research on the experiences of adult RAS in the UK. The experiences of interest included specific aspects of the asylum journey, experiences of specific populations, psychological wellbeing, the role of occupation and access to health care. Relevant databases were systematically searched, and twenty-one studies were retrieved and included in the review. The methodological quality of all studies was assessed, with most studies rated as high quality. The findings of the studies were summarised using thematic synthesis and three superordinate themes were generated: ‘Institutional and Systemic barriers’, ‘The Psychological Burden of Seeking Asylum’ and ‘The Role of Meaningful Occupation and Community Support’. The results of the review indicate the multifaceted and intersecting challenges faced by RAS, as well as the impact on wellbeing, and how they cope. It is concluded that reform is needed in the UK, specifically changes could be considered with regards to health care, accommodation and employment regulations. The second paper is a mixed-method evaluation of the acceptability, appropriateness and feasibility of MindSpring (MS). MS is a group-delivered intervention with the aim of improving the mental health and wellbeing of RAS. This is the first evaluation of MS in a UK context. Data was collected alongside a TSO in Wales where MS was delivered to seven cohorts of participants who spoke five different languages and were from a variety of countries. Pre- and post- psychometric outcome measures of depression, anxiety and quality of life were collected and analysed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with N=16 participants to explore the implementation of MS in Wales and the data was analysed using thematic analysis. The results indicate that MS may have promise in terms of increasing quality of life and decreasing symptoms of anxiety and depression in RAS. Four overarching themes were generated from the interviews: ‘Collective Support and Shared Humanity’, ‘Coping with Stress Through Practical Skills’, ‘Transformation of Self and Future’ and ‘Environmental Factors’. It was concluded that MS is an acceptable, appropriate and feasible intervention that has cross cultural applicability in this context. The findings indicate that the roll out of MS may contribute to the psychosocial support needs of RAS in Wales and the UK more widely. This research contributes to the emerging evidence base for psychosocial interventions for RAS in the UK. The systematic review highlighted the need for culturally sensitive and accessible support which facilitates occupation and community connection. The empirical study explored the factors associated with the implementation of MS in a realworld setting finding that MS shows promise in achieving these goals. This research highlights the role clinical psychology can have in supporting the development of evidence based interventions and providing support to TSOs to implement and evaluate psychosocial interventions which align with the support needs of RAS.

Item Type:	Thesis (DClinPsy)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	18 September 2025
Last Modified:	23 Sep 2025 08:53
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/181160

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