High rates of maternal depression amongst Syrian refugees in Lebanon - a pilot study

Stevenson, Kerrie; Alameddine, Reina; Rukbi, Ghaith; Chahrouri, Mario; Usta, Jinan; Saab, Bassem; Bennett, Phillip R.; Glover, Vivette; Reynolds, Rebecca M.

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-48247-5

Cited by 20 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…However, previous studies reported social support in mother migrated from Syria affected duration of breastfeeding and age-appropriate feeding attitudes in Turkey [ 31 , 50 ]. In addition, similar to our study, maternal depression were reported to be high in Syrian refugee mothers in Lebanon [ 51 ] and Turkey [ 52 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Breastfeeding practices among Syrian refugees in Turkey

Yalçın

Nergız

Elci³

et al. 2022

Int Breastfeed J

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Background We evaluated (a) opinion of Syrian and Turkish healthcare workers (HCWs), and perceptions and attitudes of Syrian refugee mothers, pregnant women, fathers and grandmothers on age-appropriate breastfeeding, (b) the effect of cultural characteristics, migration and pandemics on Syrian’s infant nutrition, and (c) the suggestions of HCWs and Syrian family members to improve breastfeeding practices in the Syrian refugee society in a qualitative study. Methods The qualitative study consisting of structured focus group discussions (FGDs) was held in four provinces in Turkey where Syrian refugees live intensely in September and October 2020. Seven different types of online FGDs were held with Turkish HCWs working in maternity hospitals, Syrian HCWs working in Refugee Health Centers (RHCs), Syrian pregnant women, mothers, fathers, and grandmothers. In total, we carried out 46 FGDs with 335 individuals. Thematic analysis of the transcripts in a deductive-inductive fashion was carried out with MAXQDA 11. Results Most Syrian HCWs did not get any training on breastfeeding counseling. The short duration of breastfeeding in Syrian refugees was seen to be related to the cultural characteristics, and migration. Some cultural characteristics can be summarized as “believing that breastfeeding harms mother’s health”, “adolescent marriages”, “wanting to have as many children as possible”, “giving anise to infants and not breastfeeding at night”, “prelacteal feeding”, “believing that milk is not enough”, “over controlling mother–child interaction by grandmothers, which limits the interaction”, “short pregnancy intervals”, and “not using modern family planning techniques”. We found out that migration increased the tendency for adolescent pregnancies, deepened the poverty, and decreased family social support. We did not observe any change in breastfeeding practices during pandemics. Conclusions Breastfeeding counseling programs should be designed in consideration of cultural characteristics of Syrian HCWs and family members. Continuing health education programs for family members with socially appropriate interventions to prevent adolescent marriages are important.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Breastfeeding practices among Syrian refugees in Turkey

Yalçın

Nergız

Elci³

et al. 2022

Int Breastfeed J

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“…Overall, our findings correspond with previous studies showing a high prevalence of perinatal depression among Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan (74% and 50% respectively) as well as in Canada (58%) (Stevenson et al, 2019;Mohammad et al, 2018;Bowen et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Validation of the Arabic Version of the Refugee Health Screener-13 Among Perinatal Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

Alnaji

Struwe

Bagenda

2021

Preprint

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Background: Refugee mothers are at a significantly increased risk of suffering from perinatal depression. However, available tools to screen for it often use a western paradigm of mental health, may not be culturally appropriate, and may not account for the background stress experienced by refugees. The objective of this study is to test and validate RHS-13, which was developed by consultation with refugees from different backgrounds, among a group of Syrian refugee mothers living in Beka’s valley in Lebanon. Methodology: The tool was tested on a sample of 103 women. Internal consistency of the items for each subscale was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. An interitem correlation was performed to examine the most correlated items on the scale. Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated between each subscale and its diagnostic proxy. To find the best fit cut-point between sensitivity and specificity, ROC curves were used. Results: RHS-13 is a reliable and valid tool to detect depression and anxiety among perinatal Syrian mothers (Internal consistency 0.803) (correlation with PHQ: 0.63), (correlation with GAD-7: 0.73). The best fit cut-points were 12, 15, and 25 indicating the severity of symptoms from mild to severe, respectively. Conclusion: RHS-13 is a valid tool among perinatal refugees in Lebanon and can be used by primary care physicians, mental health providers, social workers working with refugees from the Middle East to screen mothers for depression and anxiety.

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“…Comparable and higher prevalence were reported among Palestinian and Syrian refugees in Lebanon (72,(87)(88)(89)(90) . A strong relationship was observed between poor maternal mental health, food insecurity, and a high crowding index in our findings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Food insecurity, low dietary diversity and poor mental health among Syrian refugee mothers living in vulnerable areas of Greater Beirut, Lebanon

et al. 2021

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Syrian refugees in Lebanon are facing vulnerabilities that are affecting their food insecurity levels. The objectives of this study were to measure dietary diversity, food insecurity (FI), and mental health status of Syrian refugee mothers in Lebanon and to explore its associations with their anemia and nutritional status. A cross-sectional study was conducted among mothers with children under 5 years (n=433) in Greater Beirut, Lebanon. Dietary diversity was measured using the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women of Reproductive Age (MDD-W) and FI using the global Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) at the individual level. Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were measured to assess the maternal mental health status. Data on socio-economic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and hemoglobin concentrations were collected. Overall, 63.3% of the mothers had a low dietary diversity (LDD) and 34.4% were moderately to severely food insecure, with 12.5% being severely food insecure. The prevalence of PTSD, moderate depression, and severe depression were 13.2%, 11.1%, and 9.9%, respectively. A significant correlation was found between LDD and FI (P<0.001). A low-income was significantly associated with LDD and FI. Poor mental health was significantly associated with FI. LDD and FI were not associated with anemia and nutritional status of mothers. Low-income households had significantly higher intakes of grains and refined starchy staples, whereas high-income households consumed more nutritious foods and sweets. Evidence of inadequate diet quality, FI, and poor mental health among Syrian refugee mothers in Lebanon are presented. Multifaceted actions are needed to reduce FI and improve dietary diversity.

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High rates of maternal depression amongst Syrian refugees in Lebanon - a pilot study

Cited by 20 publications

References 9 publications

Breastfeeding practices among Syrian refugees in Turkey

Breastfeeding practices among Syrian refugees in Turkey

Validation of the Arabic Version of the Refugee Health Screener-13 Among Perinatal Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

Food insecurity, low dietary diversity and poor mental health among Syrian refugee mothers living in vulnerable areas of Greater Beirut, Lebanon

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