The ties that bind: Understanding the mental health consequences of the Windrush Scandal and hostile immigration policies on survivors in the UK

Abstract

The Home Office Windrush Scandal of 2018 has had major implications for the wellbeing of survivors and is thought to have affected more than 15,000 individuals. The Government led compensation scheme to provide retribution to those impacted has been consistently argued as insufficient, in part linked to under appreciation of mental health consequences of the scandal. However, there is limited evidence which documents the nature of mental health issues that survivors and families have faced. This need for further evidence intersects with the need to protect a highly vulnerable community from further traumatisation. Our study contributes to this gap through a content analysis of survivor testimonies (n = 96) published in publicly available media sources between 2017 and 2023. Analysis explored social pathways to the development of mental distress and experiences of potential mental health consequences. Our analysis was informed by a complex trauma and complex racial trauma framework. Findings demonstrate that the scandal disrupted numerous social domains linked to livelihoods and positive wellbeing, driving survivors into homelessness, and experiences of dehumanization within state systems. This shaped survivors’ experiences of emotional distress, resulting in symptoms linked to depression, chronic stress, and anxiety disorders. Our work illuminates new details about the nature of trauma faced by survivors. Findings suggest the need for systems that provide targeted mental health supports that also address social disruption, to fully respond to the harms created by the scandal.