A new study from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) reveals that asylum seekers held in Australian offshore detention are 20 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than those who are not detained or who spend less than six months in onshore detention.
Published in the British Journal of Psychiatry on Tuesday, the study surveyed 990 adult refugees and asylum seekers living in the Australian community between 2011 and 2018. Of these, 215 had experienced some form of detention, including offshore facilities.
The findings show that offshore detention has a particularly severe impact on mental health. Dr. Philippa Specker, the lead author and a clinical psychologist at UNSW’s School of Psychology, explained, “If you had been in onshore detention for longer than six months, or offshore detention for any duration, your risk of developing PTSD, depression, or suicidal ideation was significantly greater.”
According to the study, individuals who had been in offshore detention were between 17 and 20 times more likely to report symptoms of PTSD compared to those who had never been detained or who had been detained onshore for less than six months.
While it has long been understood that the conditions of offshore detention are particularly harmful, this is the first study to provide quantifiable evidence of its impact on mental health. The survey also found that those detained, whether onshore or offshore, were more likely to suffer from mental health issues compared to those who were never detained. Specifically, detainees were twice as likely to have probable PTSD, 2.5 times more likely to experience probable depression, and nearly twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts.
When comparing offshore and onshore detention, those held offshore were found to be 2.7 times more likely to experience probable PTSD.
The study accounted for various factors such as age, gender, marital status, and time spent in Australia, indicating that the mental health risks associated with detention were not solely attributable to these variables but were significantly influenced by the experience of being detained itself.
Dr. Specker emphasized that the research is the largest available dataset on offshore detention and its mental health impacts. Due to legal and logistical challenges in contacting those held in offshore detention, the research was conducted with individuals after their release. This provided a rare opportunity to examine the long-term psychological effects of offshore detention in a community setting.
The study highlights that, while all forms of detention can have destabilizing effects, the negative consequences are exacerbated when asylum seekers are detained offshore. Dr. Specker explained, “Being sent to another country to await the outcome of your asylum claim undermines one’s sense of safety and certainty about the future. This can have profound and lasting psychological consequences.”
Since 1992, all asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia have been subject to mandatory detention, unlike those arriving by plane. As of July 2024, the average time individuals spend in onshore detention is about 545 days, or roughly 1.5 years.
Offshore detention, which began in 2001 on Manus Island and Nauru, was initially suspended in 2008 but reinstated in 2012. The policy remains in place under both major political parties. Despite a 2016 ruling by Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court declaring the Manus Island facility unconstitutional, about 70 asylum seekers remain in Papua New Guinea, many of whom have been detained for over a decade. Nauru continues to serve as Australia’s primary offshore processing center, with just under 100 individuals currently held on the island, most for more than a year.
Dr. Specker concluded that the findings of the study underline the importance of how asylum seekers are treated while their claims are processed, suggesting that the conditions of detention play a crucial role in determining the long-term mental health outcomes for these individuals.