390 Health predictors of refugee recognition

Abstract OP 27: Refugees and Asylum Seekers 3, B210 (FCSH), September 4, 2025, 16:00 - 17:00 Aims Rejection of a refugee application can have life-threatening consequences to the applicant; hence, it is important to understand determinants of refugee recognition. This paper analyzes if health characteristics upon application for asylum was associated with overall refugee recognition and types of refugee status: Convention, Subsidiary, and Other (Humanitarian). Furthermore, we explore if the importance of the health characteristics changed over time. Methods We used linear and multinomial logit models to estimate predicted probabilities and relative risk ratios. The almost full population data was retrieved directly from Danish Red Cross Asylum’s health journals and comprised 58,823 adult asylum seekers who applied in Denmark during 2006-2021. The explanatory variables included: experience of imprisonment and/or torture, psychological problems, cardiovascular diagnosis, diabetes, dental diagnoses, over the counter (OTC) medicine use, and an indicator of health screening participation; covariates included: age and year of application, country of origin, and dummies for schooling, marriage, and sex. Analyses were split on three time periods: 2006-2013, 2014-2016, and 2017-2021. Results During 2006-2013, imprisonment/torture was associated with a 3.5 percentage point (pp) higher probability of being recognized, opposed to a 2.6 pp lower probability during 2014-2016. In 2006-2013, psychological problems were associated with 2.4 pp higher chance of recognition, and respectively, 2.6 and 3.5 pp lower probability in 2014-2016 and 2017-2021. Dentals problems and medicine use were associated with a higher probability of recognition throughout all three periods. As to the different types of refugee status, we could only estimate results for Other (Humanitarian) status for 2006-2013, because just 31 applicants were granted this status during 2014-2021. Conclusions Our results are surprising given that health is not explicitly addressed in the criteria by which asylum adjudication is practiced. The findings substantiate a need for further research on potential health-biases in refugee recognition.