PLEASE NOTE
The PDF version (STAR-MH) is available upon registration, however the electronic version (eSTAR-MH) is currently inactive, pending funding availability.
What is the STAR-MH?
The STAR-MH is a brief and simple 9-item mental health screening tool developed for use by non mental health workers to identify likely PTSD and major depressive disorder in their asylum seeking or new refugee clients.
The STAR-MH was designed for rapid and efficient screening to expedite mental health referrals for forced migrants around the world at their agency or port of first presentation. It was developed by a psychiatrist and psychologist with extensive experience working with asylum seekers and new refugees for use by workers who come into contact with asylum seekers and refugees, including case workers, welfare workers, nurses, social workers, lawyers, bicultural workers, English language teachers, employment officers and housing workers.
Whilst not a diagnostic tool, the STAR-MH has a predictive accuracy of 81% in correctly screening in and out PTSD and/or major depressive disorder. The tool takes approximately 6 minutes to complete, with or without an interpreter and has been found to be culturally appropriate. More information about the development and psychometrics of the tool can be found here.
PDFs of the STAR-MH can be downloaded for use from this website by a range of workers to administer to their clients. Workers will need to register here to access the STAR-MH forms.
The eSTAR-MH is the electronic version of the STAR-MH developed to enable asylum seekers or new refugees to undertake the STAR-MH screening tool in their own language either in written or audio format, with their worker present. Please note the eSTAR-MH is currently inactive, pending funding availability.
Dr. Debbie Hocking
Dr. Debbie Hocking is a mental health researcher and adjunct research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, with over 15 years of specialised experience in forced migrant mental health research. Previously serving as a researcher at The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, she focuses on the prevalence and presentation of mental disorders among asylum seekers and refugees.
Dr. Hocking co-developed the STAR-MH, a mental health screening tool designed for non mental health workers to identify likely post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in asylum-seeking populations to facilitate early detection and intervention through appropriate healthcare referrals. Her recent research has investigated psychiatric disorders in forced migrant youth and examined the physical and mental health impact of immigration detention on asylum seekers and refugees subject to a range of detention contexts.
Her work has been published in international psychiatry journals, and she regularly presents at conferences to academic and clinical audiences. Dr. Hocking also delivers training on mental health screening throughout Australia and internationally. In addition to her research contributions, as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Hocking has worked in both paid and pro bono capacities, providing trauma-informed psychotherapy to asylum-seeking patients.
Dr. Hocking's papers can be found at
https://www.monash.edu/medicine/scs/researchers/debbie-hocking