Psychological symptoms in children who are victims of war and migration: Comparison of Turkish and Syrian students

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine whether exposure to war and migration trauma has a long-term effect on psychological symptoms in children. The Brief Symptom Inventory was administered to a total of 207 students, 111 of whom were Syrians and 96 of whom were Turks, studying at a secondary school in the Mamak district of Ankara. The data obtained show that Syrian students have higher average scores in the anxiety, negative self and somatisation sub-dimensions than their Turkish peers. This situation can be considered an important indicator as war and forced migration caused by war negatively affect children’s mental health. As a matter of fact, the effects of post-traumatic mental health disorders in children who have experienced war trauma can be seen even 5 years after the traumatic event. Syrian students whose mental health was evaluated within the scope of this research have been living in Turkey for 4–6 years. Keywords: Children, victims, psychological symptoms, war, migration;