Camps In Jordan Research Articles

"The assessment of odontophobia among Syrian refugees at the Moroccan military medical and surgical hospital in the Zaatari camp in Jordan and its influence by post-traumatic stress disorder : about an epidemiological investigation".

Introduction : 
 Odontophobia is a complex anxiety disorder related to excessive fear of dental care. Of multifactorial origin, it affects more females than males at all ages. Odontophobia can also be associated with other disorders, namely post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is recognized in refugees from civil wars.
 Materials and methods : 
 Descriptive and analytical cross-sectional epidemiological study, carried out during February 2020 at the Syrian refugee camp in Zaatari, Jordan, involving 200 consultants at the dental office to assess their degree of odontophobia and to determine the risk factors associated with this disorder, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
 Results : 
 The authors collated 200 subjects of which 125 (62.5%) were phobic with a corah score (> or = to 13) and 75 (37.5%) were non-phobic with a corah score (< to 13). The sex ratio was statistically different between the two populations with a predominance of female sex (p=0.025). odontophobia is also related to the length of time spent in Syria during the civil war, it is observed more in 96 (48%) patients who spent between (13 and 24 months) (p=0.017). Similarly, odontophobia is influenced by post-traumatic stress disorder in its severe form (p=0.011).
 Conclusion: 
 Descriptive and analytical observational epidemiological study showing the high prevalence of odontophobia among Syrian refugees consulting at the dental office of the Moroccan military medical-surgical hospital in Zaatari camp in Jordan and its influence by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Evaluation of psychological reactions among teenage married girls in Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan.

Girls married at an early age are more likely to be victims of violence from their husbands or their in-laws. This may lead them to experience mental problems such as post-traumatic stress, depression, and/or anxiety. There are a lack of data related to the psychological reactions among teenage married girls living at the Palestinians refugee camps. This study aimed to evaluate depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among teenage married girls in Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan. It also aimed to identify factors correlating with the study selected psychological reactions. A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design was used. The participants were recruited using non-probability sampling methods. The mental health symptoms were measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS). A total of 205 participants were included in the study. Their mean age was 16.90 (SD ± 0.96) years. Of the participants, 39.6%, 35.6%, and 9.8% experienced moderate to extremely severe levels of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, respectively. There were significant relationships between all the mental health symptoms and participant age, parent's educational level, and exposure to previous trauma. A high proportion of females living in Palestinian refugee camps married in their teenage years experienced moderate to severe mental health symptoms, particularly anxiety and depression. These results inform the need for psychological support to girls who are affected by teenage marriage.

Female Refugees’ Perception of Children Education at Za’atari Camp-Jordan

This qualitative phenomenological study examined thirty female Syrian refugees’ perceptions of their children education at the Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan. Interpretive Phenomenological Analytic (IPA) was employed to analyze the data collected through in-depth interviews. Findings demonstrated the refugees’ high regard for education and their aspirations for a brighter future for their children. Results also highlighted the challenges refugees face at the camp, which impede their children education and prevent the majority of them from attending schools. The research findings contribute to a better understanding of the refugees’ experiences and challenges.

WhatsApp supported language teacher development: A case study in the Zataari refugee camp.

This paper explores the possibilities and challenges of using the social media tool WhatsApp to support language teacher development in the Zataari refugee camp in Jordan. It takes a sociocultural perspective on teacher development where WhatsApp is a mediating tool in the broader sociocultural landscape. A thematic analysis of the postings and exchanges from the WhatsApp group revealed three main uses of the WhatsApp chat: for interpersonal interactions, for professional development, and for organisational purposes. The analysis suggests the WhatsApp group contributed to the teachers’ English language knowledge, provided a platform for them to share and discuss issues related to the challenges of their particular context, enabled them to contribute to the development of some teaching materials and begin to address some of the issues they had in a meaningful way. It also raises issues of participation, access, equity and sustainability. We conclude by suggesting there is good potential for the use of social media tools such as WhatsApp for teacher development in challenging contexts, despite the contextual constraints observed and described. While this specific case involves language teachers, the general findings can potentially be applied to any teacher education or training context where access to training or education might be curtailed for a number of reasons, including the most recent changes enforced by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Perspectives of Frontline Professionals on Palestinian Children Living with Sibling and Parental Drug Use in the UNRWA Camps, Jordan

The occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) consist of the non-contiguous West Bank including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. It is densely populated within these confines and has a unique socio-economic context characterized by political and economic tensions. Around 2.2 million Palestinians are displaced and living in the ten UNRWA refugee camps in Jordan. Palestinian communities are exposed to a double burden of disease caused by the severe economic, social and health consequences of Israeli occupation and resultant displacement. Exposure to political violence, economic hardship, fragmentation of Palestinian families, unemployment, trauma and community stress underpin a reported rise in drug abuse. Method: A qualitative study using focus groups (n = 3) with a convenience sample of health care and educational professionals was conducted in two UNRWA camps (Al-Zarka, Al-Wehdat) in Jordan. Guided discussions explored the experiences of these professionals in working with Palestinian families and children affected by substance/drug use and drug use disorder in the home. Data were analysed using thematic analysis (TA). Five themes emerged from the TA. These were as follows: (1) access to drugs was perceived to be relatively easy in the camps; (2) Attitudes towards drugs appear to have desensitized, yet stigma persists; (3) families of drug users are affected by fear, social and economic poverty, with significant physical and psychological cost to children; (4) causes of substance/drug use in Palestinian communities living in Jordanian UNRWA camps is multifactorial; (5) solutions are multi-faceted and indicative of the need for prevention and support for those at risk, and affected. Threats to UNRWA from the current political climate and the reducing investment in services may exacerbate this public health and security issue. For an evidence-based approach to have credibility in the camp communities, there is a need for accurate, factual information, along with robust epidemiological data, relating to the extent, characteristics and harms associated with drug use.

Teamwork to tackle the food security crisis

Teamwork to tackle the food security crisis

Scale and Impacts of Livelihoods Development on Women Empowerment in the Solid Waste Sector of Jordan

The present study outlines a cohesive compilation of analysis of the involvement of women in decision-making and leadership in the solid waste sector in Jordan. The socio-economic challenges have been catalyzed by the influx of Syrian refugees into the host communities and camps in Jordan. Hence, deterioration of municipal solid waste services have centered on and proposed that women engagement in the Solid Waste (SW) sector to provide opportunities that aim to improve livelihoods by producing an avenue for added income generation through the recycling and sorting scheme; as well as the cost revenue implications for the municipalities. Since 2015, projects added prospects for continued engagement of women and have drastically increased their involvement by filling management positions in the development and operation of municipal SW Transfer Stations (TSs), including heading the design and operation of the TS, and the recycling project. While 54 employment opportunities were created within North Shouneh SW pilot project; 37,794 women jobs of recycling and composting were made available by the cash for work initiative throughout 2016-2017, as well as, 60 women were employed in Zaatari camp. Moreover, when CBOs are directly involved, there has been more opportunity to engage women in employment in the solid waste sector.

IMMERSION FOR MOBILIZATION: USE OF 360-DEGREE VIDEOS AND VIRTUAL REALITY IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Purpose of the study: The article presents ongoing research that experiments the use of technological innovations in public administration. The hypothesis is that technologies can promote mobilization through immersion in virtual reality.
 Methodology: The technologies chosen were the videos produced in 360-degree cameras and virtual reality glasses, to bring public policymakers closer to the realities that such policies will address.
 Main Findings: This paper presents the theoretical basis, techniques and methodologies used to achieve the objectives and the current state of research, allowing new suggestions from academic and scientific peers to contribute to the improvement of this work.
 Implications: This study was based on UN (United Nations) experiences in trying to raise funds for Syrian refugee camps in Jordan.

Group problem management plus (gPM+) in the treatment of common mental disorders in Syrian refugees in a Jordanian camp: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundAccessing quality mental health care poses significant challenges for persons affected by adversity, especially in low- and middle-income countries where resources are scarce. To mitigate this, the World Health Organization has developed group problem management plus (gPM+), a low-intensity psychological intervention for adults experiencing psychological distress. gPM+ is a group-based intervention consisting of five-sessions, and can be delivered by non-specialist providers. This paper outlines the study protocol for a trial of gPM+ in Jordan.MethodsWe will conduct a single-blind, two-arm, randomized controlled trial in a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan. We aim to enrol 480 adults into the trial. Participants will be eligible for the trial if they screen positive for levels of psychological distress. Following screening, those eligible will be randomly assigned to receive the gPM+ intervention or enhanced treatment as usual. The primary outcome is reduction in levels of psychological distress at 3-months post-treatment. Secondary outcomes include anxiety, depression, prodromal psychotic symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder, prolonged grief, daily functioning, economic effectiveness, and change in parenting behaviour. Secondary outcomes also include the reduction in psychological distress of the participant’s child.DiscussionThe trial aims to deliver a template for affordable and scalable psychosocial interventions that can readily be implemented in refugee settings, and that can benefit both the participant and their child.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12619001386123. Registered prospectively on 10/10/2019.

Bricolage as an Intersection of Refugees, Entrepreneurship, and Book Arts (Presentation Slides)

Bricolage is a unifying word that can be used as a method of research and creative output to demonstrate the influence of refugees on their host country. This presentation focuses on the book art creative output that is being constructed from the field research in Jordan. It’s an “Intellectual bricolage” intended to make meaning out of the web of data collection and personal resources constructing a bricolage output from a qualitative survey, personal narratives, artifacts collected from their businesses, atmospheric audio from the camp, and visuals of experience. The final creative output is a book art installation that represents the complex social relationships and observations in the Zataari Camp in Jordan.

Psychometric testing of the Arabic version of the Patient Health Questionnaire among adolescent refugees living in Jordan.

Refugee youth living in Arab countries have disproportionately higher rates of depression due to the effects of displacement and trauma which makes screening a priority for early intervention. The Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A) is a reliable and valid scale to assess mental health issues, but its psychometric properties in Arabic refugee populations are unknown. This was a cross-sectional study conducted between March and Mid-April 2018, among Arabic refugee adolescents aged 13-18years living in the Baqa'a United Nations Relief and Works Agency refugee camp in Jordan, to generate an Arabic-language version of the questionnaire and to test its psychometric properties among adolescent refugees. Five hundred and ninety-one adolescents completed the PHQ-A in Arabic. Using SPSS and AMOS version 25, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was computed to assess construct validity and instrument reliability. Multivariate logistic regression analyses assessed the discriminant validity of the PHQ-A. Although exploratory factor analysis identified the nine items from the original version and explained only 37% of the variance, confirmatory factor analysis supported the one-factor structure of the PHQ-A. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the scale was 0.82 and ranged from 0.79 to 0.81 for each item. The Arabic translated version of the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents showed acceptable psychometric properties for use as a screening tool for depression in Arabic adolescent refugees.

Engineering design with Syrian refugees: localised engineering in the Azraq refugee camp, Jordan

ABSTRACT This paper presents lessons from the process of creating and implementing an engineering design course in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan over multiple iterations from 2016 to 2019. This design course used an innovative localised engineering in displacement curriculum, integrating an active, blended, collaborative, and democratic learning environment. The idea of ‘localisation,’ building off of authentic learning and participatory design, was central to the contextualised design we use, tailored to local assets, and showcased in capstone projects at the end of the course. The capstone projects consisted of realistic design solutions to problems that refugees faced in their daily lives. We present findings that include a description of the course design and the students’ localised products. Further, our thematic analysis provides insights into both the contextual challenges in implementing engineering courses and co-design in refugee camps as well as the pedagogical response to these challenges. Overall, we describe as a general outcome of our study the novel approach to teaching engineering design for learners in the Azraq refugee camp, which could be applied in other contexts.

Microfinance Institutions and Social Empowerment in Palastinian Refugees Camps in Jordan (Al-Baqa'a Camp as a Model)

Microfinance Institutions and Social Empowerment in Palastinian Refugees Camps in Jordan (Al-Baqa'a Camp as a Model)

Microfinance Institutions and Social Empowerment in Palastinian Refugees Camps in Jordan (Al-Baqa'a Camp as a Model)

Microfinance Institutions and Social Empowerment in Palastinian Refugees Camps in Jordan (Al-Baqa'a Camp as a Model)

A Friend or a Foe in Exile: An Experimental Analysis of Punishment in the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan

Are refugees likely to be nasty in a gated community? This paper investigates the willingness of Syrian refugee groups in the Zaatari refugee camp to engage in destructive behavior under the shadow of scarcity and competition. The paper uses the joy-of-destruction game to test the exogenous impact of resource scarcity. Results show that Syrian refugees living in districts with less facilities are more likely to display anti-social behavior. Syrians show an in-group behavioral bias towards their own districts’ inhabitants versus the inhabitants of the other districts in the camp.

Rainwater Harvesting for Adaptation to Water Scarcity in Refugees Camps in Jordan

Rainwater Harvesting for Adaptation to Water Scarcity in Refugees Camps in Jordan

SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF SYRIAN FEMALE YOUTH IN JORDANIAN REFUGEE CAMPS

This study aimed at documenting the sexual harassment of Syrian female refugees in refugee camps in Jordan. A purposive sample of 187 Syrian female refugees in the Za’atari camp was selected. The results showed that the environment of the camp played an important role in motivating males to harass females owing to the weakness of the security measures and the lack of sanctions upon deviant behaviors. Our findings show that females were subjected to numerous forms of sexual harassment, including hearing sexual jokes and sexual expressions, and being subjected to suggestive looks, sexual letters, and unwanted touching. Additionally, our results revealed that participants responded to sexual harassment by keeping silent because they feared making their situation worse by provoking conflict within their families. This left the victims without protection or the chance to obtain justice.

MANIFESTATIONS OF LIFEWORLD CRISIS AMONG SYRIAN MALE YOUTH IN JORDANIAN REFUGEE CAMPS

This study explores manifestations of lifeworld crisis among a sample of 362 Syrian refugee male youth in the Za’atari camp in Jordan. It fills a gap in research about the conditions of Syrian refugees in the camps. The findings reveal that the first-rank manifestation of the crisis was psychological stress: participants reported feeling fearful, distrustful, absent-minded, threatened, and worried, and having difficulty falling asleep. Second, the youth suffered a lack of gratification with regard to food, money, comfortable accommodation, water for drinking and cleaning, health care, and clothes. Third, they had a loss of meaning in their lives, including loss of interest in surrounding events, of hope about the future, of motivation to do things, of quality of life, of friendships, and of freedom. Fourth, they suffered from anomie, which implies loss of respect for moral rules, rights, and regulations, and the loss of physical security, social stability, and human dignity. Coping strategies used by participants to overcome these circumstances included religiosity, belief in returning home, accepting the situation as representing God’s will, regarding the camp as the best alternative, and controlling their feelings.

Developmental Humanitarianism, Resilience and (Dis)empowerment in a Syrian Refugee Camp

AbstractThrough a case study on Za'atari camp in Jordan, this paper joins a growing body of critical studies highlighting discrepancies between developmental humanitarian policies promoting the resilience and empowerment of refugees vis‐à‐vis realities inside camps. It shows how camp authorities incrementally unwound and stifled refugee self‐governance structures and informal entrepreneurialism. It also highlights the influence of Jordanian state priorities over the aid operation and the supportive role played by the UN Refugee Agency in affirming state priorities. The paper argues that even if well‐intentioned developmental humanitarianism can ultimately diminish the scope for meaningful refugee empowerment. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Treating Uncontrolled Hypertension with Hibiscus sabdariffa When Standard Treatment Is Insufficient: Pilot Intervention.

Objectives: To assess the use of Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS), known as karkade in Jordan, in cases of uncontrolled hypertension, either with or without medication, as validated by several clinical trials. Design: A multicentric pilot clinical study. Location: Outside a refugee camp in Jordan. Subjects: Thirty-eight participants with blood pressure (BP) above 140/90 mmHg consumed H. sabdariffa tea. Intervention: Consumption of karkade tea containing 10 g of HS/0.5 L daily. This dosage was increased to 15 g of HS/1 L and to 20 g of HS/1 L during the second and third weeks, respectively, if their BP was still high. Outcome measurements: The primary outcome measurement was blood measurement taken once a week. Secondary outcome measurements were satisfaction, possible side effects, and interactions with other medications. Results: Of the 38 participants, 29 finished the program, 72% of whom were taking antihypertensive medication due to uncontrolled hypertension and 28% of whom were not. H. sabdariffa was generally well tolerated: 38% of participants reached the target BP at the end of the study and 65% saw their systolic BP decrease by at least 10 mmHg. Conclusion: H. sabdariffa (karkade) is generally well tolerated and seems to be helpful in treating uncontrolled hypertension, with or without medication.