Assessing the Mental Health of Refugees Using the Refugee Health Screener-15

Abstract

In 2017, 352 refugees were relocated to the Kansas City, Kansas area. As part of the relocation process, newly arrived refugees receive physical and mental health screenings. This study is a retrospective analysis of the results of 92 Refugee Health Screener-15 (RHS-15) surveys collected from February to December 2017 and interviews with the healthcare providers who administered the surveys in a primary care clinic. The most commonly reported mental health symptoms included the following: too much thinking or too many thoughts; muscle, bone, or joint pain; and crying easily. Thirty-seven refugee surveys (40%) indicated the need for follow-up mental health screening. A significant small correlation ( r = .22, p = .03) was found between female gender and the depression subscale of mental health symptoms. Provider interviews revealed challenges associated with conducting mental health screening of newly arrived refugees in a primary care setting.