Forced migration and refugee health
NKVTS studies refugees’ mental health through surveys, studies on prevention, intervention and treatment, as well as through qualitative studies on their adaptation to and inclusion in Norwegian society.
We collaborate with national and international researchers and research groups in developing and conducting research on refugees. We have also co-established the Nordic research network NordURM (Nordic Network for Research Cooperation on Unaccompanied Refugee Minors). The Nordic research project CAGE (Coming of Age in Exile) has developed through this network collaboration, which examines the living conditions and well-being of young refugees growing up in the Nordic countries.
Refugees’ challenges
Refugees are people who have left their countries of origin fleeing war, human rights violations or persecution. They may have developed post-traumatic stress disorder from previous traumatic events. Refugees may have been subjected to torture and violence in addition to traumatic events, which may debilitate their daily functioning in various ways.
People seeking asylum in Norway also face a number of challenges related to separation, loss and exile-related stress. The asylum-seeking process entails uncertainty, and starting a new life in an unfamiliar society is demanding.
Unaccompanied minors
Several of our studies focus particularly on unaccompanied minors. Unaccompanied minors are children and young people under 18 seeking asylum without parents or other persons with parental responsibility. The loss of caregivers is often an additional reason as to why unaccompanied minors flee. Our research focuses on the reception of unaccompanied minors, and on resettlement in a municipality for those whose asylum application is approved and are granted residence in Norway.
Other studies involve young refugees in general, whether they come alone or with their family, and are concerned with their views and experiences of growing up in exile, particularly in relation to school. This research also addresses the views of significant adults (e.g. teachers and caregivers) on how best to provide for the needs of young refugees.
Reports
- Informasjon til innvandrerbefolkningen i krisetid. Delrapport 1.
- Informasjon til innvandrerbefolkningen i krisetid. Delrapport 2.
- Should we talk about mental health. A pilot study of attitudes to mental health and subjective treatment needs in newly arrived refugees from Ukraine
- Seksuelle krenkelser og hjelpsøking blant utsatte med innvandrerbakgrunn: En undersøkelse av erfaringer i hjelpeapparatet og politiet
- Mental health and quality of life among refugees from Syria after forced migration to Norway: Main findings from the REFUGE study
Academic Articles
- “If we don’t adapt, we lose some parents”. Collaborations with migrant families in the context of student wellbeing
- Adult refugees’ perspectives on the impact of trauma and post-migration hardships on learning
- Migrant students’ self-reported executive function skills in relation to mental health, postmigration stress, and positive appraisals of self and the social context
- Negotiating Futures: How Schools Shape Belonging for Young Newcomers in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden
- Psychometric properties of the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-8) among refugee adolescents from Afghanistan, Syria, and Somalia
Books and dissertations
- Mental health, chronic pain and migration-related stress in refugees resettled in Norway and Sweden
- Access to female genital cutting specialized services in Norway
- Migration, super-diversity, and health: Studies on immigrants’ health care integration in Norway
- Mental health of unaccompanied refugee minors: A longitudinal study from arrival in Norway to outcome of the asylum procedure
- Trauma, personality function, and posttraumatic reactions: A retrospective and prospective study of traumatized refugee patients
Other publications
- Enslige mindreårige asylsøkere er både sårbare og ressurssterke.
- Irregulære migranters rett og tilgang til behandling i distriktpsykiatriske sentre: Helsepersonells vurderinger
- Corrigendum to ‘Asylum-seekers’ psychosocial situation: A diathesis for post-migratory stress and mental health disorders?’ [Journal of Psychosomatic Research 130 (2020) 109914] (Journal of Psychosomatic Research (2020) 130, (S0022399919305938), (10.1016/j.jpsychores.2019.109914))
- Flyktninger med traumerelaterte plager – En kunnskapsoversikt
- Mot et bedre liv: vendepunkter blant enslige mindreårige asylsøkere under 16 år.
