Experiences of everyday health support and healthcare among settled young people who arrived as unaccompanied refugees in Norway.

Authors

Gjertrud Moe, Linn Okkenhaug Getz, Bente Prytz Mjølstad, Borgunn Ytterhus

Published in

International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being. Volume 21. Issue 1. Pages 2705751. Dec 31, 2026. Epub Jul 23, 2026.

Abstract

When young unaccompanied refugees are settled in a local municipality, they are expected to gradually take responsibility for organizing their everyday lives, including accessing public services. This study aims to examine these young people's experiences of health-related support and primary healthcare in everyday life when settled in Norway.
In-depth interviews with nineteen young unaccompanied refugees (18-25 years) from Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Syria. The interviews were analysed using interpretive phenomenology. Theoretically, Axel Honneth's philosophy of recognition is applied.
The young unaccompanied refugees use their agency to manage daily life, support and care for family abroad, and attend school; however, the absence of primary relations loving forms made them vulnerable in terms of self-confidence, as described in Honneth's taxonomy. They emphasized that professionals must integrate care and recognition into routine services to maintain their well-being and dignity. Teachers and school nurses offered relational continuity and meaningful support, but the participants felt that their concerns were insufficiently acknowledged by GPs when presenting indistinct symptoms such as headaches or stomachaches. Still, most of the young participants reported high-quality care from their GP when dealing with acute or clearly defined medical issues.
The young refugees revealed both agency and vulnerability. They also expressed unmet needs for recognition, particularly within their primary relationships. In this context, teachers and school nurses provided availability, continuity and person-centred care, enabling participants to feel recognized and able to manage everyday life. Although GPs encounter them less frequently and within stricter time constraints, their role remains pivotal. Strengthening GPs' capacity to recognize young refugee patients as whole persons, including their need for recognition and their emotional vulnerability, represents an important area for improvement.

PMID:
42493481
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 24 Jul 2026.

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