A review of adolescent autobiographical memory and the implications for assessment of unaccompanied minors' refugee determinations.

The number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) is increasing, and unlike those who arrive with their parents, UASC are subject to interview to determine refugee status. The limited amount of objective evidence available in most asylum claims means that the UASC's account of their experiences often becomes key in deciding whether or not the young person is granted protection. Research indicates that assumptions about human memory influence decision-makers' views on asylum seekers' accounts; however, these do not necessarily appear to fit with the published research on autobiographical memory and may lead to an unfair decision.

Untested assumptions: psychological research and credibility assessment in legal decision-making.

Background: Trauma survivors often have to negotiate legal systems such as refugee status determination or the criminal justice system.

Methods & Results: We outline and discuss the contribution which research on trauma and related psychological processes can make to two particular areas of law where complex and difficult legal decisions must be made: in claims for refugee and humanitarian protection, and in reporting and prosecuting sexual assault in the criminal justice system.

Conclusion: There is a breadth of psychological knowledge that, if correctly applied, would limit the inappropriate reliance on assumptions and myth in legal decision-making in these settings.

Overgeneral memory in asylum seekers and refugees.

Background And Objectives: Studies in western samples have shown that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are associated with overgeneral autobiographical memory retrieval. This study assesses whether this association extends to asylum seekers and refugees from diverse cultural backgrounds. We discuss implications for those providing testimony of their experiences when seeking asylum.

Non-clinicians' judgments about asylum seekers' mental health: how do legal representatives of asylum seekers decide when to request medico-legal reports?

Background: Procedures for determining refugee status across Europe are being speeded up, despite the high prevalence of mental health difficulties among asylum seekers. An assurance given is that ''vulnerable applicants'' will be identified and excluded from accelerated procedures. Although experts have recommended assessments to be undertaken by experienced clinicians, this is unlikely to happen for political and financial reasons.

Is mindfulness-based therapy an effective intervention for obsessive-intrusive thoughts: a case series.

Despite the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural interventions in improving the experience of obsessions and compulsions, some people do not benefit from this approach. The present research uses a case series design to establish whether mindfulness-based therapy could benefit those experiencing obsessive-intrusive thoughts by targeting thought-action fusion and thought suppression. Three participants received a relaxation control intervention followed by a six-session mindfulness-based intervention which emphasized daily practice.

Specificity of episodic and semantic aspects of autobiographical memory in relation to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Two studies examined the relationship between the ability to access specific autobiographical material in memory and presence/symptoms of posttraumatic stress. In Study 1, a sample of refugees with a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) completed the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) in which they had to generate specific episodic autobiographical memories in response to emotion-related cue words. Results showed that reduced specificity of memories on the AMT was associated with an increased frequency of trauma-related flashbacks but with reduced use of effortful avoidance to deal with trauma-related intrusions in the day-to-day.

Impact of sexual violence on disclosure during Home Office interviews.

Background: Late disclosure or non-disclosure during Home Office interviews is commonly cited as a reason to doubt an asylum seeker's credibility, but disclosure may be affected by other factors.

Aims: To determine whether and how sexual violence affects asylum seekers' disclosure of personal information during Home Office interviews.

Method: Twenty-seven refugees and asylum seekers were interviewed using semi-structured interviews and self-report measures.

Asylum claims and memory of trauma: sharing our knowledge.

Decisions about asylum are extremely difficult because of the absence of a body of objective evidence. Psychiatrists and psychologists have a breadth of knowledge relating to the memory of trauma which could help to inform the asylum process, but we need to investigate how to apply this knowledge and how to make it accessible to decision makers.

Should discrepant accounts given by asylum seekers be taken as proof of deceit?

Background: In order to recognise a refugee in a receiving state, decision makers have to make a judgment based on background information and the account given by the individual asylum seeker. Whilst recognising that this is a very difficult decision, we examine one of the assumptions made in this process: that an account which is inconsistent is probably fabricated for the purposes of deceitfully gaining asylum status. We review some of the psychological processes at work when a person applies for asylum, and report a study offering empirical evidence of some of the reasons why accounts of traumatic experiences may be inconsistent.

Discrepancies in autobiographical memories--implications for the assessment of asylum seekers: repeated interviews study.

Objective: To investigate the consistency of autobiographical memory of people seeking asylum, in light of the assumption that discrepancies in asylum seekers' accounts of persecution mean that they are fabricating their stories.

Design: Repeated interviews.

Setting: England, 1999 and 2000.