Abstract
BackgroundSince the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, close to 6 million Syrian refugees have escaped to Syria’s neighbouring countries, including Lebanon. Evidence suggests rising levels of mental health disorders among Syrian refugee populations. Yet, to the best of our knowledge, large-scale studies addressing the mental health of adult Syrian refugees in Lebanon are lacking. We examined the prevalence of depression symptoms, which represent a common and debilitating mental health disorder among Syrian refugee populations in Lebanon, along with their sociodemographic and clinical correlates.MethodsA cross-sectional survey design was conducted as part of a collaborative project-“Sijilli”- led by the Global Health Institute at the American University of Beirut (Beirut, Lebanon) across 4 informal tented settlements for refugees (Beirut, Bekaa, North, South) in Lebanon among adult Syrian refugees (≥18), over a period extending from 2018 to 2020. The survey inquired about participants’ sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and screened participants for symptoms of depression through sequential methodology using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2 and PHQ-9).ResultsA total of 3255 adult Syrian refugees were enrolled in the study. Of those refugees, 46.73% (n = 1521) screened positive on the PHQ-2 and were therefore eligible to complete the PHQ-9. In the entire sample (n = 3255), the prevalence of moderate to severe depression symptoms (PHQ-2 ≥ 2 and then PHQ-9 ≥ 10) was 22% (n = 706). Further analyses indicate that being ≥45 years of age (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.13–2.30), a woman (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.06–1.70), widowed (OR 2.88, 95% CI 1.31–6.32), reporting a neurological (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.15–2.60) or a mental health condition (OR 3.98, 95% CI 1.76–8.97) are major risk factors for depression.ConclusionOur study suggests that an estimated one in four Syrian refugees in Lebanon shows moderate to severe depression symptoms, and our findings have important public health and clinical implications on refugee health. There is a need to enhance screening efforts, to improve access and referral to mental health services, and to improve post-migration factors among Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Highlights
Since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, close to 6 million Syrian refugees have escaped to Syria’s neighbouring countries, including Lebanon
The present study aims to examine the prevalence of depression symptoms and their sociodemographic and clinical correlates among Syrian refugees in Lebanon
In the present study, we report the prevalence of depression symptoms, which represent one of the most common and debilitating mental health disorders among Syrian refugees, and we explore their sociodemographic and clinical correlates
Summary
Since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, close to 6 million Syrian refugees have escaped to Syria’s neighbouring countries, including Lebanon. Having escaped from conflict settings, refugees often experience a multitude of stressors such as traumatic events, multiple forms of losses, discrimination, and acculturation difficulties among others during their journey of displacement [1]. They have significantly higher odds of developing mental health disorders compared to the general population [1]. Many refugees are survivors of exploitation, torture, and sexual and gender-based violence, which further exacerbate their vulnerability to health conditions [1] That said, they are less likely to receive mental health services because of social stigma, language and cultural barriers, imbalanced power dynamics with service providers, limited access to services, and low mental health literacy, including lack of perceived need [1, 8,9,10]. Recent evidence indicates that mental health is one of the most pressing health needs among Syrian refugees in Lebanon and neighbouring countries [11]
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