Women in refuge: Syrian women voicing health sequelae due to war traumatic experiences and displacement challenges

Rizkalla, Niveen; Arafa, Rahma; Mallat, Nour Khaddaj; Soudi, Laila; Adi, Suher; Segal, Steven

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2019.109909

Cited by 30 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Cultural idioms of distress and explanatory models of illness shape the manner in which distress is experienced and communicated, and how people make sense of their symptoms. Within a Syrian context, somatic symptoms such as stomach cramps, chest tightness, aches and pains, breathlessness and fatigue are commonly reported idioms of psychological distress and trauma [18,48]. Studies in other Arabic-speaking populations describe how these physical symptoms are more likely to Table 2 Level of somatic distress by probable mental disorder, (n, %).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Somatic distress among Syrian refugees in Istanbul, Turkey: A cross-sectional study

McGrath

Acartürk

Roberts

et al. 2020

Journal of Psychosomatic Research

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Somatic distress among Syrian refugees in Istanbul, Turkey: A cross-sectional study

McGrath

Acartürk

Roberts

et al. 2020

Journal of Psychosomatic Research

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“…It is unclear, for example, if structural barriers to care (e.g., financial issues, transportation, child care) or personal characteristics (e.g., educational level) are the main reason for low referral acceptance rates for specific groups, or if there are other factors that may be more easily manipulated such as psychoeducation and perceived cultural competence of the provider. Stigma has been noted as a barrier by Cuban and Syrian, refugees, and is undoubtedly an important target for intervention [37,38]. Additionally, future research could help to clarify policies and actions to be taken by community leaders, politicians, care providers, and refugee agencies.…”

Section: Referral Acceptancementioning

confidence: 99%

Traumatic Experiences and Mental Health Risk for Refugees

Schlaudt

Bosson

Williams

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Refugees who settle in Western countries exhibit a high rate of mental health issues, which are often related to experiences throughout the pre-displacement, displacement, and post-displacement processes. Early detection of mental health symptoms could increase positive outcomes in this vulnerable population. The rates and predictors of positive screenings for mental health symptoms were examined among a large sample of refugees, individuals with special immigrant visas, and parolees/entrants (N = 8149) from diverse nationalities. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine if demographic factors and witnessing/experiencing violence predicted positive screenings. On a smaller subset of the sample, we calculated referral acceptance rate by country of origin. Refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan were most likely to exhibit a positive screening for mental health symptoms. Refugees from Sudan, Iraq, and Syria reported the highest rate of experiencing violence, whereas those from Iraq, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo reported the highest rate of witnessing violence. Both witnessing and experiencing violence predicted positive Refugee Health Screener-15 (RHS-15) scores. Further, higher age and female gender predicted positive RHS-15 scores, though neither demographic variable was correlated with accepting a referral for mental health services. The findings from this study can help to identify characteristics that may be associated with risk for mental health symptoms among a refugee population.

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“…This article will focus on women's lives before the war, during the war, and the decision to escape; the transitional phase and hopes for the future (Figure 1). Details on traumatic experiences during the war and post exodus period challenges in the host country were discussed in another manuscript (Rizkalla et al, 2020a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Women endured many tragedies and traumas in their home country during the war (Rizkalla et al, 2020a). Syria became a war-torn place with killing and destruction for many women (Adwan, 2010), which led to the decision to flee.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Newly displaced refugees encounter multiple challenges in the host countries, some of which include housing difficulties, high cost of living, illegality of work, scarce economic resources, poverty, hostility of locals (Achilli, 2015;Carrion, 2015;Verme et al, 2015;Rizkalla et al, 2020a), as well as hyper-attention to the events in Syria and the status of the family members they left behind (Verme et al, 2015;Thorleifsson, 2016). In Jordan, the majority of Syrian refugees live below the poverty line and do not receive basic necessities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Manzuaat wa Musharadat, Uprooted and Scattered: Refugee Women Escape Journey and the Longing to Return to Syria

et al. 2021

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ObjectiveViolent conflict forced millions of Syrians to flee their homes to host countries. This study examines Syrian refugee women’s experiences from the war’s outset through their journey to Jordan. It addresses the toll this journey had on their lives.MethodsTwenty-four in-depth interviews were completed with Syrian refugee women who currently reside in urban areas of Jordan. Researchers translated, transcribed, and analyzed the interviews using group narrative methodology.ResultsThe Syrian women had unique nostalgic memories of times before the war. They experienced atrocities during the war that forced their decision to escape Syria. Their journey narratives testify of internal displacement, personal and collective traumatic journeys via legal and illegal routes. Almost all the women were placed in refugee camps during their transitions to host country residency. In Jordan, they faced diverse hurdles of displacement and extremely different realities compared to the ones they had in Syria. Despite how very different but difficult each of their journeys were, every single woman longed to return home to Syria.ConclusionsThis study presents a new understanding of the role and process of the journeys undertaken and highlights the concept of “return” as the defining element for Syrian refugee women. Regardless of the hardships women endured to escape their homeland to find safety, “return” marks an ending to their horror journey and the beginning of a new journey of hope for a better future.

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Women in refuge: Syrian women voicing health sequelae due to war traumatic experiences and displacement challenges

Abstract: Title Women in refuge: Syrian women voicing health sequelae due to war traumatic experiences and displacement challenges.

Cited by 30 publications

References 35 publications

Somatic distress among Syrian refugees in Istanbul, Turkey: A cross-sectional study

Somatic distress among Syrian refugees in Istanbul, Turkey: A cross-sectional study

Traumatic Experiences and Mental Health Risk for Refugees

Manzuaat wa Musharadat, Uprooted and Scattered: Refugee Women Escape Journey and the Longing to Return to Syria

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