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The Challenges Faced when Seeking Asylum in the United Kingdom: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Chaffelson, Rebecca; (2021) The Challenges Faced when Seeking Asylum in the United Kingdom: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London). Green open access

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Abstract

Aims: To claim asylum, individuals are required to provide an account of their experiences in the form of interviews with the Home Office. These accounts are often challenged by the Home Office because of apparent inconsistencies and a lack of credibility. Yet the ability to disclose everything that has happened to them can be impacted by a myriad of factors and there are many reasons why there may be inconsistencies in a person’s explanation. This study explores applicant’s experience of seeking asylum in the UK, how they experienced interviews with the Home Office, and how this impacted what they were able to say. Method: Semi-Structured interviews were conducted with eight participants who had been through the UK asylum process. Verbatim transcripts of the interviews were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) Results: Four Superordinate themes were identified; “Confronted by a Hostile System”, “Beliefs about Professionals”, “Experiences of Interviews”, The Impact of the Process on the Self” Conclusion: Participants identified experiences of a system that felt overtly and intentionally hostile to them. Psychological, practical, and institutional factors were identified as impacting what they were able to disclose in the interview. Participants identified deterioration to their mental health as a result of the experience of seeking asylum which for some was not alleviated even once leave to remain was granted.

Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Qualification: D.Clin.Psy
Title: The Challenges Faced when Seeking Asylum in the United Kingdom: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Event: UCL (University College London)
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © The Author 2021. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10120695
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