The experiences of undergoing medico-legal assessments when seeking asylum in the UK: an interpretive phenomenological analysis

Asylum-seekers who have experienced ill-treatment often undergo a clinical assessment for the purposes of having a medico-legal report prepared for use as evidence in their claim for asylum. The literature suggests that while this assessment process may act as a stressor, it might also provide therapeutic benefits. The study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experience of asylum-seekers who had undergone assessment for the preparation of a medico-legal report. Three superordinate themes emerged from the data: (a) uncertainty – the tension between negative and positive expectation; (b) the pain of having to share and remember; (c) therapeutic impact. The assessment process was psychologically distressing. This distress was mitigated by particular components of the process that appeared to hold therapeutic benefits. These findings have important clinical implications for clinicians carrying out assessments with asylum-seekers and highlight the need for trauma-informed approaches to care within the UK asylum system.