Mental health of resettled Syrian refugees: a practical cross-cultural guide for practitioners

Almoshmosh, Nadim; Bahloul, Hussam Jefee; Barkil-Oteo, Andres; Hassan, Ghayda; Kirmayer, Laurence J.

doi:10.1108/jmhtep-03-2019-0013

Cited by 21 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 58 publications

(65 reference statements)

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“…The Syrian crisis has been widely described as one of the largest refugee crises of recent times [ 1 , 2 ]. Close to 6 million Syrian refugees have fled to Syria’s neighbouring countries, namely Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and Iraq [ 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of depression symptoms and associated sociodemographic and clinical correlates among Syrian refugees in Lebanon

et al. 2021

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Background Since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, close to 6 million Syrian refugees have escaped to Syria’s neighbouring countries, including Lebanon. Evidence suggests rising levels of mental health disorders among Syrian refugee populations. Yet, to the best of our knowledge, large-scale studies addressing the mental health of adult Syrian refugees in Lebanon are lacking. We examined the prevalence of depression symptoms, which represent a common and debilitating mental health disorder among Syrian refugee populations in Lebanon, along with their sociodemographic and clinical correlates. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was conducted as part of a collaborative project-“Sijilli”- led by the Global Health Institute at the American University of Beirut (Beirut, Lebanon) across 4 informal tented settlements for refugees (Beirut, Bekaa, North, South) in Lebanon among adult Syrian refugees (≥18), over a period extending from 2018 to 2020. The survey inquired about participants’ sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and screened participants for symptoms of depression through sequential methodology using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2 and PHQ-9). Results A total of 3255 adult Syrian refugees were enrolled in the study. Of those refugees, 46.73% (n = 1521) screened positive on the PHQ-2 and were therefore eligible to complete the PHQ-9. In the entire sample (n = 3255), the prevalence of moderate to severe depression symptoms (PHQ-2 ≥ 2 and then PHQ-9 ≥ 10) was 22% (n = 706). Further analyses indicate that being ≥45 years of age (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.13–2.30), a woman (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.06–1.70), widowed (OR 2.88, 95% CI 1.31–6.32), reporting a neurological (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.15–2.60) or a mental health condition (OR 3.98, 95% CI 1.76–8.97) are major risk factors for depression. Conclusion Our study suggests that an estimated one in four Syrian refugees in Lebanon shows moderate to severe depression symptoms, and our findings have important public health and clinical implications on refugee health. There is a need to enhance screening efforts, to improve access and referral to mental health services, and to improve post-migration factors among Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of depression symptoms and associated sociodemographic and clinical correlates among Syrian refugees in Lebanon

et al. 2021

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“…This will require additional training of staff, especially in child psychiatry ( 242 ), as well as the continued development of non-specialist, task-shifting initiatives. Emphasis should be placed on tailoring clinical interventions to the cultural and contextual particulars of specific refugee populations, such as resettled Syrian refugees ( 243 ). To support this, more should be done to increase community participation in both the design and implementation of health services for the forcibly displaced ( 244 ).…”

Section: Discussion and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Capacity Building and Health Systems Strengtheningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Refugee Mental Health, Global Health Policy, and the Syrian Crisis

Cratsley

Brooks

Mackey

2021

Front. Public Health

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The most recent global refugee figures are staggering, with over 82.4 million people forcibly displaced and 26.4 million registered refugees. The ongoing conflict in Syria is a major contributor. After a decade of violence and destabilization, over 13.4 million Syrians have been displaced, including 6.7 million internally displaced persons and 6.7 million refugees registered in other countries. Beyond the immediate political and economic challenges, an essential component of any response to this humanitarian crisis must be health-related, including policies and interventions specific to mental health. This policy and practice review addresses refugee mental health in the context of the Syrian crisis, providing an update and overview of the current situation while exploring new initiatives in mental health research and global health policy that can help strengthen and expand services. Relevant global health policy frameworks are first briefly introduced, followed by a short summary of recent research on refugee mental health. We then provide an update on the current status of research, service provision, and health policy in the leading destinations for Syrians who have been forcibly displaced. This starts within Syria and then turns to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Germany. Finally, several general recommendations are discussed, including the pressing need for more data at each phase of migration, the expansion of integrated mental health services, and the explicit inclusion and prioritization of refugee mental health in national and global health policy.

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“…Mental health research on refugees and asylum seekers has burgeoned over the past two decades (Silove et al, 2017) to pursue a number of important lines of inquiry. These include: epidemiological studies (Morina et al, 2018); accounts of the lived experience of migrants in diverse social-political contexts (Bosworth, 2014;Jenkins, 2008;Valibhoy et al, 2017); the development of conceptual frameworks that go beyond PTSD to consider other impacts of refugee trauma, forced migration, and resettlement (Hynie, 2018;Kirmayer et al, 2018;Silove, 2013;Tay & Silove, 2017;Tuomisto & Roche, 2018); and advances in the understanding of effective treatment and intervention (Almoshmosh et al, 2019;De Haene & Rousseau, 2020;Kronick, 2018;Silove et al, 2017). Despite this growing literature, there are substantial gaps in available research, and important ethical and methodological challenges to engaging in rigorous, trustworthy studies informed by a decolonizing perspective (Lawrence & Hirsch, 2020).…”

Section: Research Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Refugee mental health and human rights: A challenge for global mental health

Kronick

Jarvis

Kirmayer

2021

Transcult Psychiatry

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This article introduces a thematic issue of Transcultural Psychiatry that presents recent work that deepens our understanding of the refugee experience—from the forces of displacement, through the trajectory of migration, to the challenges of resettlement. Mental health research on refugees and asylum seekers has burgeoned over the past two decades with epidemiological studies, accounts of the lived experience, new conceptual frameworks, and advances in understanding of effective treatment and intervention. However, there are substantial gaps in available research, and important ethical and methodological challenges. These include: the need to adopt decolonizing, participatory methods that amplify refugee voices; the further development of frameworks for studying the broad impacts of forced migration that go beyond posttraumatic stress disorder; and more translational research informed by longitudinal studies of the course of refugee adaptation. Keeping a human rights advocacy perspective front and center will allow researchers to work in collaborative ways with both refugee communities and receiving societies to develop innovative mental health policy and practice to meet the urgent need for a global response to the challenge of forced migration, which is likely to grow dramatically in the coming years as a result of the impacts of climate change.

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Mental health of resettled Syrian refugees: a practical cross-cultural guide for practitioners

Cited by 21 publications

References 58 publications

Prevalence of depression symptoms and associated sociodemographic and clinical correlates among Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Prevalence of depression symptoms and associated sociodemographic and clinical correlates among Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Refugee Mental Health, Global Health Policy, and the Syrian Crisis

Refugee mental health and human rights: A challenge for global mental health

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