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Asylum seekers and refugees (ASR) in Germany are dispersed quasi-randomly to state-provided, collective accommodation centres. We aimed to analyse contextual effects of post-migration housing environment on their mental health. We drew a balanced random sample of 54 from 1 938 accommodation centres with 70 634 ASR in Germany's 3rd largest federal state. Individual-level data on depression and anxiety as well as sociodemographic- and asylum-related covariates, were collected and linked to contextual geo-referenced data on housing environment ('Small-area Housing Environment Deterioration' index, number of residents, remoteness, urbanity, and German Index of Multiple Deprivation). We fitted two-level random-intercept models to exploratively estimate adjusted contextual effects. Of 411 surveyed participants, 45.53% and 44.83%, respectively, reported symptoms of depression or anxiety. 52.8% lived in centres with highest deterioration, 46.2% in centres with > = 50 residents, 76.9% in urban, and 56% in deprived districts. 7.4% of centres were remote. We found statistically significant clustering in reporting anxiety on the level of accommodation centres. The model resulted in an intraclass correlation of 0.16 which translated into a median odds ratio of 2.10 for the accommodation-level effects. No significant clustering was found for symptoms of depression. The highest degree of deterioration, large accommodation size, remoteness, and district urbanity showed higher, but statistically not significant, odds for reporting anxiety or depression. District deprivation demonstrated higher odds for anxiety and lower odds for depression yet remained statistically insignificant for both. Evidence for contextual effects of housing environment on mental health of ASR could not be established but residual confounding by length of stay in the accommodation centre cannot be ruled out. Confirmatory analyses with prior power calculations are needed to complement these exploratory estimates., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Mohsenpour et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Global migration has sparked renewed interest in Universal Health Coverage in high-income countries. However, quality of care has received little attention. This study uses the concept of responsiveness to study quality of care for asylum seekers and refugees (ASR) in Germany and identify inequalities among this group. We report results from a population-based, cross-sectional health monitoring survey in Germany's third-largest federal state using random sampling methods. Established instruments were used to measure responsiveness, health status and socio-demographic factors. Data were weighted and adjusted logistic regression models applied to identify inequalities related to health status, structural and socio-demographic factors. N = 344 survey participants were included in the analysis (response rate 39.2%). Combined responsiveness was 77% (95%CI: 68%; 83%) but varied between domains. Responsiveness was poor for individuals with symptoms of anxiety (OR 0.35, 95%CI 0.13,0.99), longstanding illness (OR:0.42, 95%CI:0.17,1.06) and diminished health-related quality of life (OR:0.24, 95%CI:0.06,0.95). Individuals from Southern Asia (OR: 0.24, 95%CI: 0.07,0.86) and young participants (OR:0.31, 95%CI:0.12,0.82) also reported less responsive care. Unique patterns of explanatory factors were identified within each responsiveness domain. We found important differences in responsiveness related to health, socio-demographic and structural factors, both in combined responsiveness and in individual domains. Inequalities related to health status factors are particularly concerning given the potential implications for equity of access. Future research should explore responsiveness for different sectors, include individuals who have not utilised healthcare and allow for the adjustment of differential expectations of care between population groups., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Biddle et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Research on health and healthcare for asylum seekers and refugees (ASR) has focused strongly on accessibility and legal entitlements, with quality of care receiving little attention. This study aimed to assess responsiveness, as non-medical quality of care, in the narratives of ASR patients recently arrived in Germany., Methods: 31 ASR with existing medical conditions were recruited in six refugee reception centres and three psychosocial centres. Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted which reconstructed their patient journey after arrival in Germany. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and evaluated using thematic analysis., Results: The experiences of participants throughout the patient journey provided a rich and varied description of the responsiveness of health services. Some dimensions of responsiveness, including respectful treatment, clear communication and trust, resurfaced throughout the narratives. These factors were prominent reasons for positive evaluations of the health system, and negative experiences were reported in their absence. Other dimensions, including cleanliness of facilities, autonomy of decision-making and choice of provider were raised seldomly. Positive experiences in Germany were often set in contrast to negative experiences in the participants' countries of origin or during transit. Furthermore, many participants evaluated their experience with healthcare services in terms of the perceived technical quality of medical care rather than with reference to responsiveness., Conclusion: This qualitative study among ASR analysed patient experiences to better understand responsiveness of care for this population. While our results show high overall satisfaction with health services in Germany, using the lens of responsiveness allowed us to identify particular policy areas where care can be strengthened further. These include in particular the expansion of high-quality interpreting services, provision of professional training to increase the competency of healthcare staff in caring for a diverse patient population, as well as an alignment between healthcare and asylum processes to promote continuity of care., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Screening asylum-seekers for active pulmonary tuberculosis is common practice among many European countries with low incidence of tuberculosis. The reported yields vary substantially, partly due to the heterogeneous and dynamic nature of asylum-seeking populations. Rather than screening all new arrivals (indiscriminate screening), a few countries apply targeted screening based on incidence of tuberculosis in asylum-seekers' country of origin. However, evaluations of its cost-effectiveness have been scarce. The aim of this modelling study was to assess whether the introduction of a screening threshold based on the tuberculosis incidence in the country of origin is sensible from an economic perspective. To this end, we compare the current, indiscriminate screening policy for pulmonary tuberculosis in Germany with a hypothetical targeted screening programme using several potential screening thresholds based on WHO-reported incidence of tuberculosis in countries of origin. Screening data is taken from a large German federal state over 14 years (2002-2015). Incremental cost-effectiveness is measured as cost per case found and cost per case prevented. Our analysis shows that incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of screening asylum-seekers from countries with an incidence of 50 to 250/100,000 range between 15,000€ and 17,000€ per additional case found when compared to lower thresholds. The ICER for screening asylum-seekers from countries with an incidence <50/100,000 is 112,000€ per additional case found. Costs per case prevented show a similar increase in costs. The high cost per case found and per case prevented at the <50/100,000 threshold scenario suggests this threshold to be a sensible cut-off for targeted screening. Acknowledging that no screening measure can find all cases of tuberculosis, and that reactivation of latent infections makes up a large proportion of foreign-born cases, targeting asylum-seekers from countries with an incidence above 50/100,000 is likely to be a more reasonable screening measure for the prevention and control of tuberculosis than indiscriminate screening measures., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objectives: Most of the evidence on the effects of internet use on mental health derives from cross-sectional research. We set out to explore prospective associations between internet use (hours online and specific internet experiences) and future mental health problems., Methods: Participants were 1,431 respondents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a UK birth cohort, who completed a questionnaire on internet use (time online and ten different internet experiences) when they were aged 18 years. Outcomes included past year self-harm, assessed at 21 years and high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, assessed at 22 years. Associations were investigated using logistic regression models and analyses were conducted separately for males and females., Results: Females reporting high levels of internet use (number of hours online) were found to be at increased risk of depression at follow-up (highest tertile vs lowest tertile OR = 1.41, 95% CI 0.90 to 2.20), whereas males with high levels of internet use were at increased risk for self-harm (highest tertile vs lowest tertile OR = 2.53, 95%CI 0.93 to 6.90). There was no evidence to suggest an association between hours spent online and anxiety. With regards to the specific internet experiences, associations were found for females but not for males. In fully adjusted models, being bullied online (OR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.86) and meeting someone face to face (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.41) were associated with an increased risk of future depression. Being bullied online was also associated with an increased risk of future self-harm (OR = 2.42, 95% CI 1.41 to 4.15), along with receiving unwanted sexual comments or material, and coming across pornography and violent/gruesome material., Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of digital citizenship training to help teach young people to use technology safely and responsibly., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: There has been a recent focus on language use in relation to suicide, with concerns raised about the potential to cause distress, perpetuate stigma and discourage help-seeking. While some terms are promoted as more sensitive than others, empirical research exploring the views of people affected by suicide to inform academic and media guidelines is lacking., Methods: An anonymous, cross-sectional online survey was promoted opportunistically via online channels. Participation was requested from adults affected by suicide. Participants were asked to rate descriptors pertaining to suicidal behaviour according to perceived acceptability. A descriptive analysis of quantitative data was conducted alongside thematic content analysis of free-text data., Outcomes: There were 2,719 responses, of which 1,679 (61·8%) were complete. Of phrases describing non-fatal suicidal behaviour, "attempted suicide" had the highest median acceptability score. Of phrases describing fatal suicidal behaviour, "took their own life" and "died by suicide" had the highest median acceptability scores. The scores for "commit suicide" were most variable and spanned the range of acceptability scores. Free text data illustrated the nuances in decision-making., Interpretation: Variation in opinion exists amongst people affected by suicide regarding most phrases, often depending on contextual factors. "Attempted suicide", "took their own life", "died by suicide" and "ended their life" were however considered most acceptable. We argue that academic and media guidelines should promote use of these phrases., Competing Interests: P.P., E.N. and D.K. co-authored a journal article about avoidance of the use of the word "commit" in relation to "suicide".

Despite accelerating interest in the impact of the internet on suicidal behaviour, empirical work has not captured detailed narratives from those who engaged in suicide-related internet use. This study explored the suicide-related online behaviour of two contrasting samples of distressed users, focusing on their purpose, methods and the main content viewed. In-depth interviews were conducted in the UK between 2014-2016 with i) young people in the community; and ii) self-harm patients presenting to hospital emergency departments. Data were analysed using methods of constant comparison. Suicide-related internet use varied according to the severity of suicidal feelings. In the young people sample, where severity was lower, use was characterised by disorganised browsing without clear purpose. A range of content was 'stumbled upon' including information about suicide methods. They also pursued opportunities to interact with others and explore online help. Self-harm patients were a higher severity group with a history of suicidal behaviour. Their use was purposeful and strategic, focused around 'researching' suicide methods to maximise effectiveness. They made specific choices about content viewed; many consulting factual content in preference to user generated accounts, while help content and communication was avoided. Findings indicate further action is necessary to improve online safety. Also, novel online help approaches are needed to engage individuals experiencing suicidal crisis. Awareness of the nature of suicide-related internet use and how this may reflect the status of an individual's suicidal thinking could be beneficial to clinicians to promote safety and indicate risk., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.