The impact of hotel accommodation on asylum seekers’ mental health: a mixed methods study

Due to increasing numbers of asylum seekers and backlogs in processing asylum applications in the UK, the Home Office is increasingly housing asylum seekers long-term in accommodation that was intended to be short-term, including hotels. This study aimed to understand the impact of hotel accommodation on asylum seekers’ mental health. The sequential explanatory mixed methods design involved quantitative data drawn from 147 asylum seekers’ mental health screening questionnaires and qualitative data drawn from interviews with 16 asylum seekers who lived in hotels. The study found that hotels negatively impact asylum seekers’ mental health, with asylum seekers living in hotels experiencing higher levels of housing problems, psychological distress, and depression. Reflexive thematic analysis derived three themes to explain why hotel accommodation negatively impacts mental health: lack of safety, lack of autonomy, and social isolation. Policy recommendations include reducing asylum seekers’ time in hotels, increasing flow through the asylum system, and prioritising vulnerable asylum seekers for community housing. Clinical implications include the importance of assessing the impact of housing on mental health, considering hotel accommodation as a risk factor for self-harm and suicidal ideation, and referring asylum seekers to community groups and religious organisations, as these connections were identified as survival strategies.