Imperial College London
Alternate

DrMatthewHodes

Faculty of Medicine, Department of Brain Sciences

Honorary Senior Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
 
 
 
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Contact

 

m.hodes Website

 
 
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Location

 

Commonwealth BuildingHammersmith Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Given-Wilson:2016:10.1037/cap0000077,
author = {Given-Wilson, Z and Herlihy, J and Hodes, M},
doi = {10.1037/cap0000077},
journal = {Canadian Psychology-Psychologie Canadienne},
pages = {265--273},
title = {Telling the story: a psychological review on assessing adolescents' asylum claims},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cap0000077},
volume = {57},
year = {2016}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) are separated from caregivers, have often been exposed to significant additional past and ongoing adversities, and seek protection from war, organized violence, or persecution in a new country. Obtaining a more secure legal position by achieving recognition of the asylum claim and legal rights may involve arduous interviews with officials who appear disbelieving. Assessing a minor’s claim to asylum is an important and difficult task. UASC often arrive with little “proof” or documentation to justify their claims and can only provide their account in making their claim. Without such proof, decision makers turn to the subjective judgment of the applicant’s credibility. This review appraises the literature on UASC asylum claims from a psychological perspective. Searches were made of the main databases for relevant studies. The review focuses on key findings: developmental processes, mental health, autobiographical memory, cultural influences, and decision makers’ own thinking processes and subjective states. Key findings specific to the UASC predicament are their ability to tell their story—an aspect of autobiographical memory, which is affected by developmental stage, presence of mental illness, and culture. The review shows that the decision makers’ own beliefs, past experiences, and emotional state also affects their decision-making processes. An adequate assessment requires evaluation of a multitude of factors and careful decision making. The findings are pertinent for understanding the UASC, interviewing style, and appraising the information. The implications for policy and practice are summarized.
AU  - Given-Wilson,Z
AU  - Herlihy,J
AU  - Hodes,M
DO  - 10.1037/cap0000077
EP  - 273
PY  - 2016///
SN  - 0708-5591
SP  - 265
TI  - Telling the story: a psychological review on assessing adolescents' asylum claims
T2  - Canadian Psychology-Psychologie Canadienne
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cap0000077
UR  - http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000387240400004&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/43519
VL  - 57
ER  -
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