Between Care and Coercion: Asylum Seekers' Experiences With COVID-19 Containment and Mitigation Measures in German Reception Centres

Objectives: COVID-19 containment and mitigation measures have been criticised for amplifying pre-existing individual and structural vulnerabilities among asylum seekers. We qualitatively explored their experiences with and attitudes towards pandemic measures to inform people-centred responses in fut...

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Main Authors: Eilin Rast (Author), Clara Perplies (Author), Louise Biddle (Author), Kayvan Bozorgmehr (Author)
Format: Book
Published: Frontiers Media S.A., 2023-03-01T00:00:00Z.
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001 doaj_eeb0fe2a3f8b4cf5b6fb7cddabe34ef3
042 |a dc 
100 1 0 |a Eilin Rast  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Clara Perplies  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Louise Biddle  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Louise Biddle  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Kayvan Bozorgmehr  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Kayvan Bozorgmehr  |e author 
245 0 0 |a Between Care and Coercion: Asylum Seekers' Experiences With COVID-19 Containment and Mitigation Measures in German Reception Centres 
260 |b Frontiers Media S.A.,   |c 2023-03-01T00:00:00Z. 
500 |a 1661-8564 
500 |a 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605230 
520 |a Objectives: COVID-19 containment and mitigation measures have been criticised for amplifying pre-existing individual and structural vulnerabilities among asylum seekers. We qualitatively explored their experiences with and attitudes towards pandemic measures to inform people-centred responses in future health emergencies.Methods: We interviewed eleven asylum seekers in a German reception centre (July-December 2020). The semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed thematically with an inductive-deductive approach.Results: Quarantine was experienced as burdensome by participants. Shortcomings in social support, everyday necessities, information, hygiene, and daily activities exacerbated the strains of quarantine. Interviewees held different opinions about the usefulness and appropriateness of the various containment and mitigation measures. These opinions differed by individual risk perception and the measures' comprehensibility and compatibility with personal needs. Power asymmetries related to the asylum system furthermore impacted on preventive behaviour.Conclusion: Quarantine can amplify mental health burdens and power asymmetries and can therefore constitute a considerable stressor for asylum seekers. Provision of diversity-sensitive information, daily necessities, and accessible psychosocial support is required to counteract adverse psychosocial impacts of pandemic measures and safeguard wellbeing in this population. 
546 |a EN 
690 |a mental health 
690 |a qualitative research 
690 |a COVID-19 
690 |a quarantine 
690 |a refugees 
690 |a Public aspects of medicine 
690 |a RA1-1270 
655 7 |a article  |2 local 
786 0 |n International Journal of Public Health, Vol 68 (2023) 
787 0 |n https://www.ssph-journal.org/articles/10.3389/ijph.2023.1605230/full 
787 0 |n https://doaj.org/toc/1661-8564 
856 4 1 |u https://doaj.org/article/eeb0fe2a3f8b4cf5b6fb7cddabe34ef3  |z Connect to this object online.