A new study has revealed that refugees and asylum seekers on temporary visas have significantly higher symptoms of post-traumatic stress and depression than those on permanent visas.
The study's authors say the prolonged uncertainty that refugees often live with is associated with these negative mental health outcomes.
University of Sydney associate professor Angela Nickerson and her team surveyed more than 1,000 refugees in Australia over three years.
What they found was refugees who have a temporary visa were more likely to be depressed, have post-traumatic stress disorder and are more than twice as likely to have suicidal intent than those with more secure visas.
