Aussageverhalten von traumatisierten Flüchtlingen : eine Untersuchung zum Vorbringen des eigenen Verfolgungsschicksals im Rahmen des Asylverfahrens

Abstract

Background: In the first hearing in the federal migration office, asylum seekers are asked to report in detail all aspects of the political persecution they had ex-perienced in their home countries (disclosure requirement). The psychological literature shows that refugees with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have difficulties to report in detail on the persecution they had experienced due to specific symptoms related to the disorder.<br />Objective: To address the question, which sociodemographic, psychological, persecution-related and situational factors influence the report of experienced persecution in the first hearing in asylum seekers with PTSD.<br />Methods: Fifty-two files of asylum seekers with PTSD, who had participated in an in-depth psycho-diagnostic interview, were chosen out of our archive. The analysis included content analytic and quantitative methods.<br />Results: The predictors for non-disclosure or insinuation only in the first hear-ing were: the existence of killed or disappeared family members, low level of education, being a rape victim, suspected traumatic brain injury, and whether the person has never been politically active in the country of origin. Addition-ally, we found a correlation between situational factors of the hearing and level of detail in the report of the asylum seekers.<br />Conclusion: Sociodemographic, medical, psychopathological and persecution-related factors can explain why asylum seekers with PTSD conceal the experi-enced persecution in the first hearing and, thereby, offend against the German asylum law with negative consequences for the asylum process. The German asylum procedure needs to take better care of this group of asylum seekers.