Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T06:40:15.772Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Trauma and resilient functioning among Syrian refugee children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 October 2018

Fatima Tuba Yaylaci
Fatima Tuba Yaylaci*
Affiliation:
Istanbul Sehir University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Fatima Tuba Yaylaci, Department of Psychology, Istanbul Sehir University, Orhantepe Mahallesi, Turgut Ozal Bulvari, No: 21, 34865 Dragos, Kartal/Istanbul, Turkey; E-mail: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Following the civil war in Syria, there has been a growing interest in the impact of war, violent conflict, and refuge on the development and mental health of refugee children in general and Syrian refugee children in particular. The objective of this paper is threefold: (a) to critically review the existing literature on the psychological functioning of Syrian refugee children, with a particular focus on those residing in the urban areas or camps in Turkey; (b) to identify the main theoretical and methodological problems of this emerging literature; and (c) to suggest guidelines for how to improve research and practice in this field. The reviewed literature predominantly focuses on psychological trauma, trauma-related symptomatology or other maladaptive functioning in children, and psychosocial interventions conducted toward alleviating these issues. This paper will summarize the research findings in the above-mentioned topics to discern what can be known from the existing literature on Syrian refugee children.

Type
Special Issue Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 30 , Special Issue 5: Cultural Development and Psychopathology , December 2018 , pp. 1923 - 1936
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

I would like to acknowledge my students at the Development and Psychopathology Lab for their valuable contribution with reviewing the literature, and providing ideas for this manuscript.

References

Acarturk, C., Konuk, E., Cetinkaya, M., Senay, İ., Sijrandij, M., Cujipers, P., & Aker, T. (2015). EMDR for Syrian refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: Results of a pilot randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 6, 27414. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27414Google Scholar
Ahmad, A., Sofi, M., Sundelin-Wahlsten, V., & Von Knorring, A.-L. (2000). Posttraumatic stress disorder in children after the military operation “Anfal” in Iraqi Kurdistan. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 9, 235–243. doi:10.1007/s007870070026Google Scholar
Alpak, G., Unal, A., Bulbul, F., Sagaltici, E., Bez, Y., Altindag, A., … Savas, H. A. (2015). Post-traumatic stress disorder among Syrian refugees in Turkey: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 19, 45–50. doi:10.3109/13651501.2014.961930Google Scholar
Attanayake, V., McKay, R., Joffres, M., Singh, S., Burkle, F. Jr., & Mills, E. (2009). Prevalence of mental disorders among children exposed to war: A systematic review of 7,920 children. Medicine Conflict and Survival, 25, 4–19. doi:10.1080/13623690802568913Google Scholar
Bag, M. (2018, March 20). Kızılay Başkanı Kerem Kınık: Türkiye'de 4 milyon mülteci var. Retrieved July 23, 2018, from http://tr.euronews.com/2018/03/20/k-z-lay-baskan-kerem-k-n-k-turkiye-de-4-milyon-multeci-varGoogle Scholar
Benage, M., Greenough, P. G., Vinck, P., Omeira, N., & Pham, P. (2015). An assessment of antenatal care among Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Conflict and Health, 9, 8. doi:10.1186/s13031-015-0035-8Google Scholar
Berkowitz, S., Brymer, M., Hamblen, J., Jacobs, A., Layne, C., & Watson, P. (2010). Skills for psychological recovery: Field operations guide. National Center for PTSD and National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Retrieved from www.nctsn.orgGoogle Scholar
Berry, J. W., Phinney, J. S., Sam, D. L., & Vedder, P. (2006). Immigrant youth: Acculturation, identity, and adaptation. Applied Psychology, 55, 303–332. doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2006.00256.xGoogle Scholar
Betancourt, T. S., Meyers-Ohki, M. S. E., Charrow, M. A. P., & Tol, W. A. (2013). Interventions for children affected by war: An ecological perspective on psychosocial support and mental health care. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 21, 70. doi:10.1097/HRP.0b013e318283bf8fGoogle Scholar
Betancourt, T. S., Newnham, E. A., Layne, C. M., Kim, S., Steinberg, A. M., Ellis, H., & Birman, D. (2012). Trauma history and psychopathology in war-affected refugee children referred for trauma-related mental health services in the United States. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 25, 682–690. doi:10.1002/jts.21749Google Scholar
Bronstein, I., & Montgomery, P. (2011). Psychological distress in refugee children: A systematic review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 14, 44–56. doi:10.1007/s10567-010-0081-0Google Scholar
Cabrera, N. J., Volling, B. L., & Barr, R. (2018). Fathers are parents, too! Widening the lens on parenting for children's development. Child Development Perspectives. Advance online publication. doi:10.1111/cdep.12275Google Scholar
Cartwright, K., El-Khani, A., Subryan, A., & Calam, R. (2015). Establishing the feasibility of assessing the mental health of children displaced by the Syrian conflict. Global Mental Health, 2. doi:10.1017/gmh.2015.3Google Scholar
Causadias, J. M. (2013). A roadmap for the integration of culture into developmental psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 25(4, Pt. 2), 1375–1398. doi:10.1017/S0954579413000679Google Scholar
Çelebi, E., Verkuyten, M., & Bagci, S. C. (2017). Ethnic identification, discrimination, and mental and physical health among Syrian refugees: The moderating role of identity needs: Refugees, social identity, and health. European Journal of Social Psychology, 47, 832–843. doi:10.1002/ejsp.2299Google Scholar
Cicchetti, D., & Dawson, G. (2002). Multiple levels of analysis. Development and Psychopathology, 14, 417–420. doi:10.1017/S0954579402003012Google Scholar
Cicchetti, D., & Tucker, D. (1994). Development and self-regulatory structures of the mind. Development and Psychopathology, 6, 533–549. doi:10.1017/S0954579400004673Google Scholar
Cook, P. (2017). The virtuous circle of play and psychosocial well-being: A review of Right to Play's education in. Retrieved from http://www.righttoplay.com/moreinfo/aboutus/Documents/The%20Virtuous%20Circle%20of%20Play%20and%20Psychosocial%20Well-being.pdfGoogle Scholar
Davidson, G. R., Murray, K. E., & Schweitzer, R. D. (2010). Review of refugee mental health assessment: Best practices and recommendations. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 4, 72–85. doi:10.1375/prp.4.1.72Google Scholar
Derluyn, I., & Broekaert, E. (2008). Unaccompanied refugee children and adolescents: The glaring contrast between a legal and a psychological perspective. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 31, 319–330. doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2008.06.006Google Scholar
Diab, M., Peltonen, K., Qouta, S. R., Palosaari, E., & Punamäki, R. (2015). Effectiveness of psychosocial intervention enhancing resilience among war-affected children and the moderating role of family factors. Child Abuse & Neglect, 40, 24–35. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.12.002Google Scholar
Dwairy, M. (2009). Culture analysis and metaphor psychotherapy with Arab-Muslim clients. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65, 199–209. doi:10.1002/jclp.20568Google Scholar
Ehntholt, K. A., & Yule, W. (2006). Practitioner Review: Assessment and treatment of refugee children and adolescents who have experienced war-related trauma. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47, 1197–1210. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01638.xGoogle Scholar
Ekmekci, P. E. (2017). Syrian refugees, health and migration legislation in Turkey. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 19, 1434–1441. doi:10.1007/s10903-016-0405-3Google Scholar
Elbedour, S., Ten Bensel, R., & Bastien, D. T. (1993). Ecological integrated model of children of war: Individual and social psychology. Child Abuse & Neglect, 17, 805–819. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(08)80011-7Google Scholar
El-Khani, A., Ulph, F., Peters, S., & Calam, R. (2016). Syria: The challenges of parenting in refugee situations of immediate displacement. Intervention, 14, 99–113. doi:10.1097/WTF.0000000000000118Google Scholar
Eloul, L., Quosh, C., Ajlani, R., Avetisyan, N., Barakat, M., Barakat, L., … Diekkamp, V. (2013). Inter-agency coordination of mental health and psychosocial support for refugees and people displaced in Syria. Intervention, 11, 340–348. doi:10.1097/WTF.0000000000000011Google Scholar
Gadeberg, A. K., Montgomery, E., Frederiksen, H., & Norredam, M. (2017). Assessing trauma and mental health in refugee children and youth: A systematic review of validated screening and measurement tools. European Journal of Public Health, 27, 439–446. doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckx034Google Scholar
Garcia Coll, C. G., Akerman, A., & Cicchetti, D. (2000). Cultural influences on developmental processes and outcomes: Implications for the study of development and psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 12, 333–356. doi:10.1017/S0954579400003059Google Scholar
Gormez, V., Kılıç, H. N., Orengul, A. C., Demir, M. N., Mert, E. B., Makhlouta, B., … Semerci, B. (2017). Evaluation of a school-based, teacher-delivered psychological intervention group program for trauma-affected Syrian refugee children in Istanbul, Turkey. Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 27, 125–131. doi:10.1080/24750573.2017.1304748Google Scholar
Hassan, G., Kirmayer, L. J., Mekki-Berrada, A., Quosh, C., el Chammay, R., Deville-Stoetzel, J., … Coutts, A. (2015). Culture, context and the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of Syrians: A review for mental health and psychosocial support staff working with Syrians affected by armed conflict. Geneva: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/55f6b90f9.pdfGoogle Scholar
Hassan, G., Ventevogel, P., Jefee-Bahloul, H., Barkil-Oteo, A., & Kirmayer, L. J. (2016). Mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of Syrians affected by armed conflict. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 25, 129–141. doi:10.1017/S2045796016000044Google Scholar
Hollifield, M., Warner, T. D., Lian, N., Krakow, B., Jenkins, J. H., Kesler, J., … Westermeyer, J. (2002). Measuring trauma and health status in refugees: a critical review. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288, 611–621. doi:10.1001/jama.288.5.611Google Scholar
Human Rights Watch. (2016). Human Rights Watch Annual Report. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/01/31/annual-reportGoogle Scholar
International Medical Corps. (2014). Mental health/psychosocial and child protection for Syrian adolescent refugees in Jordan. Amman, Jordan: IMC & UNICEF. Retrieved from https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/42708Google Scholar
Jabbar, S. A., & Zaza, H. I. (2014). Impact of conflict in Syria on Syrian children at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. Early Child Development and Care, 184, 1507–1530. doi:10.1080/03004430.2014.916074Google Scholar
Jordans, M. J., Tol, W. A., Komproe, I. H., & de Jong, J. V. (2009). Systematic review of evidence and treatment approaches: Psychosocial and mental health care for children in war. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 14, 2–14. doi:10.1111/j.1475-3588.2008.00515.xGoogle Scholar
Juang, L. P., Simpson, J., Lee, R. M., Rothman, A., Titzmann, P. F., Schachner, M. K., … Betsch, C. (2017). Using attachment and relational perspectives to understand adaptation and resilience among immigrant and refugee youth. American Psychologist. Advance online publication. doi:10.31234/osf.io/x2rn6Google Scholar
Kağıtçıbaşı, Ç. (2012). Autonomous-related self and competence. In Masten, A. S., Liebkind, K., & Hernandez, D. J. (Eds.), Realizing the potential of immigrant youth (pp. 281–306). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Keles, S., Friborg, O., Idsøe, T., Sirin, S., & Oppedal, B. (2016). Depression among unaccompanied minor refugees: The relative contribution of general and acculturation-specific daily hassles. Ethnicity & Health, 21, 300–317. doi:10.1080/13557858.2015.1065310Google Scholar
Kirişci, K. (2014). Syrian refugees and Turkey's challenges: Going beyond hospitality. Washington, DC: Bookings Institute. Retrieved from http://madde14.org/english/images/0/0e/2014BrookingsSyriaKirisci.pdfGoogle Scholar
Levitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., Frost, D. M., Josselson, R., & Suárez-Orozco, C. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force report. American Psychologist, 73, 26. doi:10.1037/amp0000151Google Scholar
Leyendecker, B., Cabrera, N., Lembcke, H., Willard, J., Kohl, K., & Spiegler, O. (2018). Parenting in a new land: Immigrant parents and the positive development of their children and youth. European Psychologist, 23, 57–71. doi:10.1027/1016-9040/a000316Google Scholar
Lieberman, A. F., Chu, A., Van Horn, P., & Harris, W. W. (2011). Trauma in early childhood: Empirical evidence and clinical implications. Development and Psychopathology, 23, 397–410. doi:10.1017/S0954579411000137Google Scholar
Lustig, S. L., Kia-Keating, M., Knight, W. G., Geltman, P., Ellis, H., Kinzie, J. D., … Saxe, G. N. (2004). Review of child and adolescent refugee mental health. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 43, 24–36. doi:10.1097/01.chi.0000096619.64367.37Google Scholar
Masten, A. S. (2014). Global perspectives on resilience in children and youth. Child Development, 85, 6–20. doi:10.1111/cdev.12205Google Scholar
Masten, A. S., & Obradovic, J. (2008). Disaster preparation and recovery: Lessons from research on resilience in human development. Ecology and Society, 13.Google Scholar
Mercy Corps. (2014). Mercy Corps. Advancing adolescence: Getting Syrian refugee and host-community adolescents back on track. Retrieved from https://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/download.php?id=5366.Google Scholar
Michelson, D., & Sclare, I. (2009). Psychological needs, service utilization and provision of care in a specialist mental health clinic for young refugees: A comparative study. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 14, 273–296. doi:10.1177/1359104508100889Google Scholar
Ministry of Interior Directorate General of Migration Management. (2018). Temporary protection migration statistics. Retrieved July 22, 2018, from http://www.goc.gov.tr/icerik6/temporary-protection_915_1024_4748_icerikGoogle Scholar
Missing Children Europe. (2017, January). Lost in migration: Background Note. Retrieved from http://lostinmigration.eu/BackgroundNote.pdfGoogle Scholar
Montgomery, E. (2008). Self-and parent assessment of mental health: Disagreement on externalizing and internalizing behaviour in young refugees from the Middle East. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 13, 49–63. doi:10.1177/1359104507086341Google Scholar
Montgomery, E. (2011). Trauma, exile and mental health in young refugees. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 124, 1–46. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.2011.01740.xGoogle Scholar
Montgomery, E., & Foldspang, A. (2006). Validity of PTSD in a sample of refugee children: Can a separate diagnostic entity be justified? International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 15, 64–74. doi:10.1002/mpr.186Google Scholar
Motti-Stefanidi, F. (2018). Resilience among immigrant youth: The role of culture, development and acculturation. Developmental Review. Advance online publication. doi:10.1016/j.dr.2018.04.002Google Scholar
Nielsen, S. S., Norredam, M., Christiansen, K. L., Obel, C., Hilden, J., & Krasnik, A. (2008). Mental health among children seeking asylum in Denmark—The effect of length of stay and number of relocations: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 8, 293. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-8-293Google Scholar
Özer, S., Sirin, S. R., & Oppedal, B. (2016). Bahçeşehir study of Syrian refugee children in Turkey. Unpublished manuscript, Bahçeşehir Üniversitesi. Retrieved from https://www.fhi.no/globalassets/dokumenterfiler/studier/ungkul/bahcesehir-study-report.pdfGoogle Scholar
Panter-Brick, C., Dajani, R., Eggerman, M., Hermosilla, S., Sancilio, A., & Ager, A. (2018). Insecurity, distress and mental health: Experimental and randomized controlled trials of a psychosocial intervention for youth affected by the Syrian crisis. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 59, 523–541. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12832Google Scholar
Panter-Brick, C., Grimon, M., & Eggerman, M. (2014). Caregiver—Child mental health: A prospective study in conflict and refugee settings. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55, 313–327. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12167Google Scholar
Phalet, K., Fleischmann, F., & Hillekens, J. (2018). Religious identity and acculturation of immigrant minority youth: Toward a contextual and developmental approach. European Psychologist, 23, 32–43. doi:10.1027/1016-9040/a000309Google Scholar
Poortinga, Y. H. (2016). Integration of basic controversies in cross-cultural psychology. Psychology and Developing Societies, 28, 161–182. doi:10.1177/0971333616657169Google Scholar
Quosh, C., Eloul, L., & Ajlani, R. (2013). Mental health of refugees and displaced persons in Syria and surrounding countries: A systematic review. Intervention, 11, 276–294. doi:10.1097/WTF.0000000000000013Google Scholar
Reed, R. V., Fazel, M., Jones, L., Panter-Brick, C., & Stein, A. (2012). Mental health of displaced and refugee children resettled in low-income and middle-income countries: Risk and protective factors. Lancet, 379, 250–265. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60050-0Google Scholar
Rogoff, B. (2003). The cultural nature of human development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Shaw, J. A. (2003). Children exposed to war/terrorism. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 6, 237–246. doi:10.1023/B:CCFP.0000006291.10180.bdGoogle Scholar
Sroufe, L. A. (1990). Considering normal and abnormal together: The essence of developmental psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 2, 335–347. doi:10.1017/S0954579400005769Google Scholar
Sroufe, L. A. (2009). The concept of development in developmental psychopathology. Child Development Perspectives, 3, 178–183. doi:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2009.00103.xGoogle Scholar
Thabet, A., Ibraheem, A., Shivram, R., Winter, E., & Vostanis, P. (2009). Parenting support and PTSD in children of a war zone. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 55, 226–237. doi:10.1177/0020764008096100Google Scholar
Tol, W. A., Komproe, I. H., Susanty, D., Jordans, M. J., Macy, R. D., & de Jong, J. T. (2008). School-based mental health intervention for children affected by political violence in Indonesia: A cluster randomized trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 300, 655–662. doi:10.1001/jama.300.6.655Google Scholar
Tol, W. A., Song, S., & Jordans, M. (2013). Annual Research Review: Resilience and mental health in children and adolescents living in areas of armed conflict—A systematic review of findings in low- and middle-income countries. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 54, 445–460. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12053Google Scholar
Ugurlu, N., Akca, L., & Acarturk, C. (2016). An art therapy intervention for symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety among Syrian refugee children. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 11, 89–102. doi:10.1080/17450128.2016.1181288Google Scholar
Ungar, M. (2011). The social ecology of resilience: Addressing contextual and cultural ambiguity of a nascent construct. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 81, 1. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01067.xGoogle Scholar
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2013). The future of Syria: Refugee children in crisis. Geneva: Author. Retrieved from http://www.refworld.org/docid/529c3b4d4.htmlGoogle Scholar
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2018). Syria regional refugee response. Geneva: Author. Retrieved July 22, 2018, from https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/syriaGoogle Scholar
United Nations Women. (2013). Inter-agency assessment on gender-based violence and child protection among Syrian refugees in Jordan, with a focus on early marriage. Geneva: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Retrieved from data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/download.php?id=4351Google Scholar
Verkuyten, M. (2018). Religious fundamentalism and radicalization among Muslim minority youth in Europe. European Psychologist, 23, 21–31. doi:10.1027/1016-9040/a000314Google Scholar
Vostanis, P. (2016). New approaches to interventions for refugee children. World Psychiatry, 15(1), 75–77. doi.org/10.1002/wps.20280Google Scholar
Wells, R., Steel, Z., Abo-Hilal, M., Hassan, A. H., & Lawsin, C. (2016). Psychosocial concerns reported by Syrian refugees living in Jordan: Systematic review of unpublished needs assessments. British Journal of Psychiatry, 209, 99–106. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.115.165084Google Scholar
Werner, E. E. (2012). Children and war: Risk, resilience, and recovery. Development and Psychopathology, 24, 553–558. doi:10.1017/S0954579412000156Google Scholar
Williams, N. (2010). Establishing the boundaries and building bridges: A literature review on ecological theory: Implications for research into the refugee parenting experience. Journal of Child Health Care, 14, 35–51. doi:10.1177/1367493509347116Google Scholar
Williams, N. (2012). Child welfare and the UNHCR: A case for pre-resettlement refugee parenting education. Development in Practice, 22, 110–122. doi:10.1080/09614524.2012.630980Google Scholar
Yaylaci, F. T., Cicchetti, D., Rogosch, F. A., Bulut, O., & Hetzel, S. R. (2017). The interactive effects of child maltreatment and the FK506 binding protein 5 gene (FKBP5) on dissociative symptoms in adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 29, 1105–1117. doi:10.1017/S095457941600105XGoogle Scholar
Yoshikawa, H., Suárez-Orozco, C., & Gonzales, R. G. (2017). Unauthorized status and youth development in the United States: Consensus statement of the Society for Research on Adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 27, 4–19. doi:10.1111/jora.12272Google Scholar
Ziaian, T., de Anstiss, H., Antoniou, G., Sawyer, M., & Baghurst, P. (2011). Depressive symptomatology and service utilisation among refugee children and adolescents living in South Australia. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 17, 146–152. doi:10.1111/j.1475-3588.2011.00620.xGoogle Scholar