Investigation of the Associations between Posttraumatic Growth, Sleep Quality and Depression Symptoms in Syrian Refugees (original) (raw)
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European Journal of Psychotraumatology
Background: High prevalence of sleep disturbance, which is associated with poor mental health, has been observed among non-treatment seeking refugees. However, no longitudinal research has investigated the chronicity of untreated sleep disturbance and its impact on refugees' mental health. Objective: This longitudinal study investigated associations between mental health (posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression), sleep symptoms (insomnia severity, pre-sleep arousal), and factors predicting mental health, over a 12-month period. Method: Syrian refugees (N = 69) from a cross-sectional study (Time 1) participated in the current 12-month (Time 2) follow-up study. Participants completed a series of questionnaires examining sleep, trauma exposure, post-migration living difficulties, and mental health at both time points. Results: When compared to Time 1, participants showed a significant increase in postmigration stress at Time 2. However, there was an improvement in their mental health and levels of sleep disturbance. Half of the participants met criteria for moderate (36%) or severe sleep disturbance (15%) at Time 2. Forty-two per cent of the participants had moderate to severe sleep disturbance at both Time 1 and Time 2. When predicting mental health at 12month follow-up, only pre-sleep arousal at Time 1 uniquely predicted mental health at Time 2. Mediation analysis indicated that change in pre-sleep arousal (from Time 1 to Time 2) significantly mediated the relationship between change in post-migration stress and change in mental health symptoms. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that sleep symptoms have an indirect and long-term impact on mental health among refugees. Understanding modifiable factors, such as sleep, mediating the relationship between trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms is important, as such factors can be targeted in psychological interventions for refugees. Investigación Longitudinal de la Relación entre la Exposición al Trauma, el Estrés Post-migratorio, las Alteraciones del Sueño, y la Salud Mental en Refugiados Sirios Antecedentes: Se ha observado en refugiados que no están en búsqueda de tratamiento una alta prevalencia de alteraciones del sueño, que se asocia con una salud mental pobre. Sin embargo, no existen estudios longitudinales que hayan investigado la cronicidad de las alteraciones del sueño no tratadas y su impacto en la salud mental de los refugiados. Objetivo: Este estudio longitudinal investigó las asociaciones entre salud mental (trastorno de estrés postraumático, ansiedad, depresión), síntomas del sueño (severidad del insomnio, activación previa al sueño), y factores predictores de salud mental, a lo largo de un periodo de 12 meses. Método: Refugiados sirios (N=69) de un estudio transversal (Momento 1) participó en el siguiente seguimiento a los 12 meses (Momento 2). Los participantes completaron una serie de cuestionarios examinando el sueño, la exposición al trauma, las dificultades vitales luego de la migración y la salud mental en ambos momentos de medición. Resultados: En comparación al Momento 1, los participantes mostraron un aumento 2significativo del estrés posterior a la migración en el Momento 2. Sin embargo, hubo una mejora en su salud mental y los niveles de alteración del sueño. La mitad de los participantes cumplieron los criterios para alteraciones del sueño moderadas (36%) o severas (15%) al Momento 2. Cuarenta y dos por ciento de los participantes tuvieron alteraciones del sueño moderadas a severas en ambos Momentos 1 y 2. Al predecir la salud mental en el seguimiento a 12 meses, sólo la activación previa al sueño en el Momento 1 predijo únicamente la salud mental al Momento 2. Los análisis de mediación indicaron que el cambio en la activación previa al sueño (desde el Momento 1 al Momento 2) medió significativamente la relación entre cambio en el estrés posterior a la migración y cambio en los síntomas de salud mental.
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 2018
Turkey is hosting the majority of Syrian refugees. The current study investigates the prevalence of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among adult Syrians residing in a camp (N = 781) and potential predictors. The Impact of Event Scale–Revised was used to measure PTSD and the Beck Depression Inventory depression. Probable PTSD prevalence was 83.4%, with predictors being female sex (odds ratio [OR], 4.1), previous mental health problems (OR, 4.5), life threat (OR, 3.0), and injury of a loved one (OR, 1.8). Probable depression prevalence was 37.4%, with predictors being female sex (OR, 5.1), previous mental health problems (OR, 2.9), having a loved one who was tortured (OR, 1.7), and not being satisfied at the camp (OR, 1.7). The current study reveals high rates of probable PTSD and depression among Syrian refugees and highlights vulnerabilities such as great risk for women of having psychopathology.
American journal of public health, 2018
To compare frequencies of some mental health disorders between Syrian refugees living in Turkey and internally displaced persons in Syria, and to identify factors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder. We carried out a field survey in May 2017 among 540 internally displaced persons in Syria and refugees in Turkey. The study revealed that mental disorders were highly prevalent in both populations. Major depressive disorder was more frequent among refugees in Turkey than among internally displaced persons in Syria; other mental disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder, were more prevalent in the latter than in the former. Posttraumatic stress disorder was also associated with postmigration factors. Major depressive disorder was more likely among refugees in Turkey. In addition, the likelihood of major depressive disorder was predicted by stopping somewhere else before resettlement in the current location. The resettlement locus and the c...
Post-traumatic stress disorder in a sample of Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Introduction: Lebanon is the main hosting country for the Syrian crisis, with more than one million Syrian refugees. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and identify its possible predictors, in a sample of Syrian refugees living in camps in Lebanon. Method: We conducted a household survey on Syrian refugees between 18 and 65 years old in 6 camps of the Central Bekaa region, using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) as a diagnostic tool. Results: Among the 452 respondents, we found a lifetime prevalence of PTSD of 35.4%, and a point prevalence of 27.2%. The lifetime prevalence of SUD was 1.99% and the point prevalence 0.66%. Multivariate logistic regression could not identify any predictor of current PTSD among a list of demographic variables, but identified the Syrian hometown as a significant predictor of lifetime PTSD (p = .013), with refugees from Aleppo having significantly more PTSD than those coming from Homs (adjusted OR 2.14, 95% CI [1.28, 3.56], p = .004). Discussion: PTSD was a real mental health issue in our sample of adult Syrian refugees in Central Bekaa camps, unlike SUD.
Current Research on the Mental Health of Syrian Refugees
A research report on the mental health of Syrian refugees living in the largest refugee camp in Jordan. Studies show alarming rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression among Syrian refugees. Culturally appropriate psychological interventions and recommendations for future research are also discussed.
Posttraumatic stress disorder in Syrian refugees: A review
Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 2016
War is a disaster that has both acute and long-term effects, which often results in refugee migration, as has been the case in the Syrian war. Most agencies and organizations concentrate on providing necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. However, mental health must not be forgotten among other important needs of the refugees. This review explores the mental health needs of refugees, with a focus on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), finding that refugees appear especially susceptible to PTSD and PTSD symptoms, especially women and children. Although PTSD can lead to other negative consequences such as physical health complications, many are unlikely to seek help and treatment remains widely unavailable to refugees. Viable treatment options for PTSD and presented and telehealth is proposed as a way to overcome barriers to service delivery for this population.
International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 2024
The aim of this study is to investigate the factors related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety mental disorders, as well as the quality of life of Syrian refugees and to examine the relationships between mental health disorders and the quality of life of Syrian refugees. Data were collected via face-to-face surveys with 613 adult Syrian refugees in an urban setting. Brislin's methodology was used for translating scale items, involving initial translation, back-translation and review by another professional translator. The study utilised the PTSD Scale, Beck Anxiety Scale, Depression Scale and Quality of Life Scale (QOLS). Descriptive, correlational and multivariate regression analysis were applied. Findings of correlational analysis indicate that PTSD levels among Syrian refugees are significantly related to gender, income level and employment. Depression levels are significantly associated with trauma history, healthcare service use, marital status and employment. Anxiety levels are significantly related to gender, trauma history, healthcare service use, employment and income. According to the findings of the regression analyses, the relationships between depression, quality of life and PTSD are complex. Meanwhile, anxiety decreases quality of life and increases PTSD. Quality of life moderates the relationship between depression and PTSD, as well as between anxiety and PTSD. The study concludes that the mental disorder levels of Syrian refugees, in terms of PTSD, depression and anxiety, are linked to their socio-demographic characteristics. These results highlight the importance of social, economic and cultural factors, healthcare and social services and the socio-demographic characteristics of the region where refugees have settled after displacement.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Among Syrian Refugees in Za'atari Camp -Jordan
Iris Publishers LLC, 2019
Now a days war distributed everywhere related to political, financial, race, religion and other many issues; as usual during and after every war there are many harmful result’s affect people who experience it, one of the most important and recurred results is mental and psychiatric disorders, and to be more specific it’s a posttraumatic stress disorder, which detected among some refugees after immigration to more safe places.