Structural violence and the mental health of asylum-seeking minors: A retrospective directed content analysis

Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2026 Mar 9. doi: 10.1037/ort0000915. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Worldwide rates of asylum seeking are at a historic high. Globally, there are over 122 million displaced individuals, with youth under 18 comprising approximately 40% of this population. The United States is one of the largest receiving countries for asylum seekers including unaccompanied minors and families seeking asylum. Minors seeking asylum have heightened vulnerability to the adverse effects of structural and subsequent interpersonal violence due to their developmental stage and reliance on adult caregivers. Given this, we conducted a retrospective content analysis of 13 medical-legal affidavits of asylum-seeking youth arriving in the United States between 2016 and 2020 to understand their lived experience and the legal and institutional structures that impact them. Using an ecosocial theoretical framework, we describe how structural violence (e.g., policies that create environments of oppression) during the stages of migration and postmigration increases the risk of interpersonal violence and jeopardizes their mental health and well-being. Findings highlight both the increased risk for psychological distress and noteworthy resilience and protective factors youth demonstrate. We consider the holistic experiences of asylum-seeking minors to inform policy recommendations that can support positive youth development and resilience during migration and resettlement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:41801722 | DOI:10.1037/ort0000915