Health-related quality of life in young Syrian refugees recently resettled in Norway

Abstract

<jats:p> Aims: Millions have fled from the civil unrest in Syria, and half of these are children and youth. Although they are a population with an elevated risk of health problems due to adverse pre-migratory and post-migratory experiences, few studies have explored their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This is considered a fundamental construct in public health and might provide complementary descriptions of their health and well-being after resettling in a new country. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 160 Syrian youth aged 13–24 years. Using KIDSCREEN-27, the results for five dimensions of HRQoL was compared to population norm data. Demographic factors and war-related adverse events were used to predict HRQoL in hierarchical regression. Results: For most participants, the overall HRQoL was good, but it was lower in the dimensions for friends, physical well-being and psychological well-being compared to population norms. Scores in the dimensions for autonomy/parental relation and the school environment were high and were the main contributors to a positive HRQoL. Age and number of reported stressful events (SE) had the greatest impact on HRQoL, but the final regression model only accounted for 21% of the total variance. Conclusions: HRQoL is a relevant and non-invasive measure for refugee youth. Contributors to lower scores in physical and psychological well-being should be explored further and indicate the potential for future interventions focussing on general psychological well-being and networks, regardless of the SE that have been experienced. These interventions could potentially be based in schools or in families in order to benefit from these being seemingly safe environments for the majority of the group. </jats:p>

Health-related quality of life in refugee minors from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan resettled in Sweden: a nation-wide, cross-sectional study

“…The general gender pattern of girls reporting lower HRQoL in the EU reference population is coherent with the pattern seen among refugee minors in the present study, though the gap was smaller and there was some variability depending on the specific dimensions and when adjusting for socioeconomic characteristics. In a study of young Syrian refugees resettled in Norway similar results were found, where being female was associated with a lower HRQoL Index and psychological wellbeing scores [46]. A gradual decrease in mean scores for all dimensions of HRQoL with increasing age in the Norwegian sample was also comparable to our finding that minors aged 12-15 had significantly higher HRQoL scores compared to minors aged 16-18. Moreover, minors who fled to Sweden unaccompanied scored significantly lower HRQoL scores compared to minors who came to Sweden accompanied.…”

Health-related quality of life in refugee youth and the mediating role of mental distress and post-migration stressors

“…Syrians were the largest group of forced migrants to enter Norway at the time of the study, and 5553 were registered in the age groups recruited in 2018 [ 25 ]. The inclusion criterion for age was 12–24 years, as they have the right to attend secondary and upper secondary schools.…”

“…Syrians were the largest group of forced migrants to enter Norway at the time of the study, and 5553 were registered in the age groups recruited in 2018 [25].…”

“…Yet, it is less investigated in refugee populations, and the results vary. For example, some studies report similar or better quality of life [ 18 , 23 , 24 ] for refugee youth resettled in high-income countries compared to other groups; others find slightly reduced levels [ 25 ]. A UN report of Syrian youth in Jordan found greatly reduced levels [ 26 ].…”

Syrian Refugee Youth Resettled in Norway: Mechanisms of Resilience Influencing Health-Related Quality of Life and Mental Distress

“…With regards to relevant risk exposure for refugee children and youth, experiences from war and flight—such as violence, seeing someone die, or fearing for one's life—are commonly reported among refugee children, including Syrian youth ( 30 ). These PTEs are repeatedly associated with negative outcomes, such as increased mental distress ( 7 , 8 ) and reduced quality of life ( 29 , 31 ). In addition, studies suggest that risk factors after settlement— post-migration stressors— may impact health and wellbeing above and beyond those of PTEs, even more prominently so in children and youth ( 32 , 33 ).…”