Clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of refugee children applying for Special Needs Report for Children (SNRC)

Aims: This study aims to examine the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of refugee children applying for the Special Needs Report for Children (SNRC) in Turkiye. The study seeks to comprehensively address the challenges encountered during these children’s health evaluations, particularly the impact of language barriers, and how these challenges affect diagnostic and treatment processes. Methods: A retrospective evaluation was conducted on 251 refugee children who applied to the SNRC outpatient clinic at Ankara Etlik City Hospital between June 2023 and June 2024. Participants were analyzed in terms of age, gender, reasons for application, and the percentages they received in each section of the SNRC evaluation. Difficulties arising from language barriers during psychiatric assessments and the functionality of psychometric tests were also examined. Results: The mean age of the 251 refugee children who applied for SNRC within one year was 88.92±56.65 months. The gender distribution revealed that 40.6% (n=102) were female and 59.3% (n=149) were male. The most common diagnosis was delayed developmental milestones (52.6%). Language barriers emerged as a fundamental issue during the assessment processes and were most frequently observed in the Afghan group (78.3%). In the application of psychometric tests, 30.3% of non-compliance was detected due to language barriers. The recommendation rate for follow-up in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry clinic was highest in the Afghan group (47.8%). Conclusion: Language barriers represent a significant obstacle to refugee children’s access to healthcare services. Enhancing translation services and developing cultural adaptation programs are critically important in addressing this issue. This study provides an essential guide for understanding the needs of refugee children and improving healthcare services tailored to them.