Impact of conflict in Syria on Syrian children at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan

Abstract

This paper describes a study performed to investigate the impact of the conflict in Syria on Syrian refugee children. The Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan was chosen for this task. Two control (comparison) groups of children were selected: one from the Jordanian Ramtha district, which is just across the border from Syria, and that indirectly feel the consequences of the Syrian conflict, and the other from Amman, the capital of Jordan, which is far away from the border. The study compared the Zaatari, Ramtha and Amman groups in terms of expressed anxiety and depression symptoms. They were also compared with respect to their gender and age. The Zaatari children were more distressed than the others, and the symptom ‘thoughts of ending your life’ was expressed only by this group. The Ramtha group also expressed some distress. The fact that this group indirectly experiences the consequences of violence emphasises the dire circumstances of children inside Syria who are trapped between fighting groups.