Immigration detention for children: Research says no form is safe

A first-of-its-kind review into the psychological impact of immigration detention has shown there are no safe forms of detention for children.

The study led by psychologists at the University of Sydney reviewed findings from 21 English-language studies involving 9620 children in eight countries. It reveals alarming levels of mental health issues, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among children held in all forms of immigration detention.

As global population displacement continues to rise, the review highlights an urgent need to consider alternatives to the detention of children and families seeking asylum.

The research has been published in The British Journal of Psychiatry. It is the first study to focus on the impact of a broad range of detention experiences on children’s mental health.

Senior author Professor Caroline Hunt, Head of Clinical Psychology at the University of Sydney, said: “The data shows any level of detention will put a child’s mental health at risk, with the lengthiest and most restrictive showing serious harms, including high levels of post-traumatic stress, self-harm and suicide attempts.

“Our findings are a clarion call for change. Immigration detention for children is not just an administrative issue; it’s an ongoing global public health crisis.”

The study showed 42.2 percent of children experienced depression and 32.0 percent displayed symptoms consistent with PTSD.

The UN High Commission for Refugees estimated in 2024 that 122.6 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes due to conflicts, persecution and natural disasters. Of this displaced population, about 40 percent are children.

Last year, the UN Human Rights Commission estimated more than 330,000 children are deprived of their liberty every year because of their parents’ immigration status. It said at least 80 countries have laws and policies allowing children to be detained.

Further, news reports suggest the Trump Administration in the US is considering a return to juvenile detention centres for unaccompanied immigrant children.

Lead author of the review, Ms Isabella Priestley said: “While the worst impacts were in children held in indefinite, prolonged and offshore detention, the impacts were also seen for children held under onshore non-custodial supervision.”

Changes to immigration policy in Australia have seen the number of children in detention fall from several hundreds to five, as reported last month by the Department of Home Affairs. A further 41 are held in the ‘Community under Residence Determination’, a form of non-custodial community detention.

Ms Priestley said: “While it is good to see the number of children in detention in Australia at low levels, it is still not zero.

“And the problem globally seems to be accelerating as governments focus on policies to detain and control immigrants rather than seek policy solutions that deal with the push factors – such as war and poverty.”

Professor Hunt said: “Our findings point to the urgent need to develop trauma-informed approaches to children and families who have experienced detention, and to ensure these are culturally appropriate, accessible and implemented using child- and family-centred approaches.

“More importantly, destination countries such as Australia, the US or UK cannot justify any form of immigration detention for children and families. It is vital that governments implement humane immigration policies that uphold basic human rights and end the practice of detaining children and families seeking asylum or refuge.”

The review was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Perth Children’s Hospital; the University of Western Australia; the Kids Research Institute; Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne; Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; University of New South Wales; and Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School.

Interviews

Professor Caroline Hunt | caroline.hunt@sydney.edu.au | +61 411 170 173

Isabella Priestley | isabella.priestley@outlook.com

Media enquiries

Marcus Strom | marcus.strom@sydney.edu.au | +61 474 269 459

Outside of work hours: please call +61 2 8627 0246 (directs to a mobile number) or email media.office@sydney.edu.au.  

Research

Priestley, I. et. al. ‘The impact immigration detention on children’s mental health: systematic review’ (The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2025) DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2025.29

Declaration

Isabella Priestley, Sarah Cherian, Zachary Steel and Caroline Hunt have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Hasantha Gunasekera was paid for specialist medical assessments conducted in the Nauru Detention Centre in 2014 but all proceeds were donated to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead refugee clinic. Professor Gunasekera also provided pro bono specialist medical services to the Australian Human Rights Commission during its inspection of the Wickham Point Detention Centre in 2015. Georgia Paxton has provided advice to Department of Home Affairs (previously the Department of Immigration and Border Protection) through the Minister’s Council for Asylum Seekers and Detention (2015–2018), the Home Affairs Independent Medical Advisors Panel (previously the Independent Health Advisors Panel, from 2014 and ongoing) and the Health Subcommittee of the Joint Advisory Committee for Nauru Regional Processing (2013–2016). Peter Young was employed by International Health and Medical Services, the medical provider for the Department of Home Affairs (previously the Department of Immigration and Border Protection) 2011–2014.