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Psychopathology and Associated Risk Factors Among Forcibly Displaced Syrian Children and Adolescents

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Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

More than half of the 2.7 million registered Syrian refugees in Turkey are under 18 years of age. This study investigates prevalence of psychopathology and associated risk factors in refugee children in Turkey. Of a total of 218 children aged 9–15 years, 56.2% lost someone important to them, 55.1% saw dead or wounded people, 70.4% witnessed explosions or gun battles, 42.5% witnessed people being tortured and 25.6% personally experienced cruelty/torture during war. Prevalence of PTSD was 18.3% and that of anxiety-related disorders were as high as 69.0%. Death of an important person (p = .032) and male gender (p = .040) were associated with PTSD; whilst exposure to cruelty or torture (p = .014) and increasing duration of refuge (p = .042) were significantly associated with development of anxiety disorders. Findings of the present study reveals existence of the expected but unspoken mental health needs among the Syrian children in Turkey.

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Abbreviations

UNCHR:

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

SCAS:

Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale

SDQ:

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

UCLA:

University College Los Angeles

PTSD:

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

DWW-PSST:

The Doctors Worldwide, psychosocial support team

DSM:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Doctors Worldwide management for the resources they provided.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Vahdet Gormez & A. Cahid Orengul

  2. Department of Psychological Counselling and Guidance, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Hale Nur Kılıç

  3. Department of Psychology, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Merve Nursoy Demir

  4. Turkish Red Crescent, Ankara, Turkey

    Şeyma Demirlikan

  5. Department of Psychology, Fatih Sultan Mehmet University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Sibel Demirbaş

  6. Department of Sociology, Şehir University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Betül Babacan

  7. Department of Public Health, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Kerem Kınık

  8. Department of Pscyhology, Hasan Kalyoncu University, Gaziantep, Turkey

    Bengi Semerci

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  1. Vahdet Gormez
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  2. Hale Nur Kılıç
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Correspondence to Vahdet Gormez.

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Gormez, V., Kılıç, H.N., Orengul, A.C. et al. Psychopathology and Associated Risk Factors Among Forcibly Displaced Syrian Children and Adolescents. J Immigrant Minority Health 20, 529–535 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0680-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0680-7

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