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Risk of mental disorders in refugees and native Danes: a register-based retrospective cohort study

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Abstract

Background

Refugees are vulnerable to mental health disorders because of migration trauma. However, register-based prevalence studies are missing.

Aims

To investigate the risk of mental disorders among refugees compared with that among native Danes.

Method

Refugees (n = 29,139), who received residence permission in Denmark from 1.1.1993 to 31.12.1999 were matched 1:4 on age and sex with native Danes (n = 116,556). Civil registration numbers were linked to the Danish Psychiatric Central Register to obtain data on ICD-10 diagnosis upon discharge for all first-time psychiatric hospital contacts for refugees (n = 2,120) and native Danes (n = 5,044) between 1.1.1994 and 31.12.2003. Treated prevalence was then calculated using a Poisson regression model.

Results

Refugee men (RR = 2.02; 95%CI = 1.75–2.34) and refugee women (RR = 1.49; 95%CI = 1.29–1.72) had higher overall risks of having a first-time psychiatric contact for mental disorders than did native Danes; specific risks of psychotic, affective and neurotic disorders were even higher. The results were most striking for refugee men, and for refugees from the former Yugoslavia, Iraq and the Middle East.

Conclusions

Refugees have high rates of various mental disorders. Healthcare services should target refugees’ mental health from arrival in the receiving country.

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Acknowledgments

We thank senior consultant Marianne Kastrup from the Center for Transcultural Psychiatry, Rigshospitalet Copenhagen, Denmark; senior researcher Karin Helweg-Larsen from the National Institute of Public Health; and chief physician Ebbe Munk Andersen from the Danish Red Cross for advice on the project and comments on the article.

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Correspondence to Marie Norredam.

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Norredam, M., Garcia-Lopez, A., Keiding, N. et al. Risk of mental disorders in refugees and native Danes: a register-based retrospective cohort study. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol 44, 1023–1029 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0024-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0024-6

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