Kafkaesque Systems and Draconian Treatment: The Impact of Statelessness and Seeking Asylum on Mental Health

• Main Author: Mulcaire, Jessie
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: UCL (University College London) 2023
• Subjects: Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10181583/1/Mulcaire__thesis.pdf; https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10181583/

Overview: This thesis comprises three parts and explores how governmental policies impact the mental health of asylum seekers and individuals affected by statelessness. Part one is a systematic review aiming to synthesise asylum seekers’ experiences of asylum determination procedures and mental health in the United Kingdom and European Union+ (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). The synthesis reviews thirty-nine qualitative research studies with asylum seekers and refugees. They discussed their experiences with asylum determination procedures and the policies which govern asylum seekers’ lives during the process. Part two is a qualitative study using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore experiences of statelessness and mental health in the UK. It aims to centre stateless individuals' voices, to understand their experiences of policies that govern statelessness and their perspective on how this influences mental health. The empirical paper was a joint project with Leah Holt and Sana Zard. Whilst each researcher conducted their study independently, we consulted with one another throughout the process and attended research meetings jointly. Part three presents a critical appraisal, a reflective piece of my experiences throughout this thesis. It is based on my reflective log and discusses the challenges and dilemmas. I explore the decision-making process during the systematic review, methodological difficulties during the empirical research, and researcher reflexivity’s importance. I then consider how this research will inform my clinical practice.