Background Huge efforts are being made to control the spread and impacts of the coronavirus pandemic using vaccines. However, willingness to be vaccinated depends on factors beyond the availability of vaccines. The aim of this study was three-folded: to assess children’s rates of COVID-19 Vaccination as reported by parents, to explore parents’ attitudes towards children’s COVID-19 vaccination, and to examine the factors associated with parents’ hesitancy towards children’s vaccination in several countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). Methods This study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive design. A sample of 3744 parents from eight countries, namely, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was conveniently approached and surveyed using Google forms from November to December 2021. The participants have responded to a 42-item questionnaire pertaining to socio-demographics, children vaccination status, knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines, and attitudes towards vaccinating children and the vaccine itself. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS- IBM, Chicago, IL, USA) was used to analyze the data. A cross-tabulation analysis using the chi-square test was employed to assess significant differences between categorical variables and a backward Wald stepwise binary logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the independent effect of each factor after controlling for potential confounders. Results The prevalence of vaccinated children against COVID-19 was 32% as reported by the parents. Concerning parents’ attitudes towards vaccines safety, about one third of participants (32.5%) believe that all vaccines are not safe. In the regression analysis, children’s vaccination was significantly correlated with parents’ age, education, occupation, parents’ previous COVID-19 infection, and their vaccination status. Participants aged ≥50 years and those aged 40-50 years had an odds ratio of 17.9 (OR = 17.9, CI: 11.16-28.97) and 13.2 (OR = 13.2, CI: 8.42-20.88); respectively, for vaccinating their children compared to those aged 18-29 years. Parents who had COVID-19 vaccine were about five folds more likely to vaccinate their children compared with parents who did not receive the vaccine (OR = 4.9, CI: 3.12-7.70). The prevalence of children’s vaccination in the participating Arab countries is still not promising. Conclusion To encourage parents, vaccinate their children against COVID-19, Arab governments should strategize accordingly. Reassurance of the efficacy and effectiveness of the vaccine should target the general population using educational campaigns, social media, and official TV and radio channels.

These research priorities emphasize the generation of practical knowledge that could translate to immediate, tangible benefits for schools. Funders, schools, and researchers can use these research priorities to guide research for the highest benefit of schools and the newly arrived immigrant and refugee adolescents they serve.

This article focuses on the refugees' labor market integration in the immediate host countries. Drawing from the experience of Syrian refugees in Jordan, it describes how the integration in labor market depends on the alignment of four perspectives: (1) host state perspective, materialized through legal regulations about refugee employment; (2) refugee perspective that refers to refugees' access to labor market and challenges they face; (3) host community perspective that implies to the recognition, approval, or reactions of host communities to the refugee employment; and (4) donor perspective that appears with the intervention of international actors through development aid or general support to refugees' working rights. To explore these diverging perspectives and their implications about the labor market integration of Syrian refugees in Jordan, the data is gathered from ethnographic policy analysis and stakeholder interviews in urban areas and camps. We argue that the refugees' legal right to work is one of the most contentious policy issues not only for Jordanian state but also for its relations with Jordanian citizens, refugees, and donors. From the perspective of donors, ensuring Syrians' legal access to labor market in the immediate host countries, like Jordan, is a policy tool for keeping refugees in the origin region. At the host community level, the issue appears as a source of dilemma; because refugee employment is a critical domain for refugees' self-reliance and local integration on the one hand, it is perceived as the source of competition for already scarce job opportunities on the other hand. For refugees themselves, an access to labor market and getting support are ways of gaining sustainable livelihood opportunities, self-reliance, and dignity. However, this access is marked by severe conditions of exploitation, vulnerability, and discrimination in working places as well as the anti-refugee rhetoric of local host communities. Programming in refugee employment necessitates taking all these four perspectives into account.

No abstract

A particularly vulnerable subgroup of refugees are older adults. This qualitative study examined experiences of 22 older Iraqi refugee women. Employing the Conservation of Resources framework, stressors experienced and resiliency demonstrated are explored. Narratives emphasized challenges faced prior to and post entry; participants’ expectations and actual experiences of life in the United States; and coping strategies employed. Common themes included expectations shaped by media; loss of homeland, culture, and loved ones; and importance of personal and environmental resources for adaptation. Despite commonalities, variations emerged. Findings highlight the importance of individualized assessment of older refugees and tailored responses to promote acculturation and healthy functioning.

No abstract

No abstract

Background Jordan has received more than three million refugees from bordering countries during times of conflict, including over 600 000 Syrian refugees between 2011 and 2021. Amidst this humanitarian crisis, a new mental health system for Syrian refugees has developed in Jordan, with most clinical services administered through non-governmental organizations. Prior studies have identified increased risk of psychiatric disorders in refugee populations and significant barriers for Syrian refugees seeking mental health treatment, but few have reviewed the organization or ability of local systems to meet the needs of this refugee population. Methods Qualitative interviews of mental health professionals working with refugees in Jordan were conducted and thematically analyzed to assess efficacy and organizational dynamics. Results Interviewees described barriers to care inherent in many refugee settings, including financial limitations, shortages of mental health professionals, disparate geographic accessibility, stigma, and limited or absent screening protocols. Additional barriers not previously described in Jordan were identified, including clinician burnout, organizational metrics restricting services, insufficient visibility of services, and security restrictions. Advantages of the Jordanian system were also identified, including a receptive sociopolitical response fostering coordination and collaboration, open-door policies for accessing care, the presence of community and grassroots approaches, and improvements to health care infrastructure benefiting the local populace. Conclusions These findings highlight opportunities and pitfalls for program development in Jordan and other middle- and low-income countries. Leveraging clinician input can promote health system efficacy and improve mental health outcomes for refugee patients.