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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 ������ 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 . 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 ������, 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 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 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.

��ܰ��ٳ���,�� 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 . 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.

Research

Priestley, I. et. al. ‘The impact immigration detention on children’s mental health: systematic review’ (, 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, Georgia Paxton and Peter Young have either been paid or delivered services pro bono in the immigration sector. Full disclosures in the research paper.