Abstract Title “Ecological Stressors and Mental Health of Adolescent Migrants in Athens, Greece.”

Background In Europe, political and cultural reactions have "securitized" refugees, depicting them as threats. Media emphasizes their "otherness" and neglects their perspectives, obscuring their daily struggles and exacerbating psychological distress. Children and youth are particularly affected, as adverse experiences during pre-migration, transit, and post-migration correlate with long-term physiological and psychological issues.

Methods The participants (ages 10-25), originating from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, the Congo, Cameroon, or Uganda, were recruited from refugee community centers in Athens. A 47-question survey included: 1) Refugee Health Screener (RHS) and 2) Demographics and Ecological Risk. The RHS had fourteen 0-4 scale questions and a 0-10 distress thermometer. Scores ≥12 on questions 1-14, or ≥5 on the thermometer, indicated likely emotional distress. The second subsection covered demographics and post-migration ecological risk factors, converted into binary variables with "1" indicating present risk. The seven risk factors were parental death, presence of a close friend, residential mobility, water security, food security, health care security, and access to electricity. Each participant received a cumulative risk score from 0 (no risk) to 8 (all risks present).

Results All but 2 participants reached the threshold for emotional distress. Significant positive Point Biserial correlations were each found between lack of access to clean water and electricity and RHS scores. A positive correlation also existed between perceived negative attitudes from their host society and RHS scores. The mean cumulative risk score was 2.20. There was a positive correlation between cumulative risk score and the distress thermometer. Ecological cumulative risk was positively correlated with the number of physical (but not psychological) symptoms reported on the RHS.

Conclusion The study highlights the impact of cumulative risk on youth refugee well-being. While no significant correlation was found between overall Refugee Health Screener (RHS) scores and cumulative risk, there was a significant correlation between cumulative risk and RHS physical symptom scores, suggesting somatization as a defense mechanism. Lack of access to clean water and electricity correlated with overall RHS scores, indicating physical and psychological symptoms like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. These factors are significant due to their foundational role in physiological and safety needs. Pre-migration trauma predicts mental disorders and PTSD, but post-migration factors are equally crucial for mental health. Post-migration stressors can influence recovery, highlighting the need for therapeutic interventions addressing broader conditions affecting refugees and asylum seekers.