Syrian Refugees Research Articles

The current status of health care indices and functional independence among older adults: data from HelpAge international-jordan study

BackgroundHealth services should anticipate the changing pattern of illnesses associated with population aging to promote healthy aging.AimWe aimed to evaluate health indices and chronic illnesses and their relationship with functional independence in community Syrian refugees & Jordanian elderly.MethodsA stratified sample of 1,718 community older adults aged ≥ 60-year-old from four major Jordanian governorates was interviewed in this cross-sectional study. Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living was utilized to assess functional status. Data were analyzed using STATA 15.ResultsDespite the similarities in baseline function, Syrian refugees had more multimorbidities but less active health insurance, accessibility to healthcare services and availability of medications and medical devices than Jordanians. Two-thirds had multimorbidities; with heart diseases, musculoskeletal conditions, hypertension, and diabetes being the most commonly reported chronic illnesses. Females had significantly more multimorbidities, and functional dependence, yet less education, income and accessibility to healthcare services. The mean Katz Index score was 4.99 ± 1.61. Significant predictors of functional dependence included increasing age, lower level of education, and some chronic illnesses.ConclusionNational inclusive plans to support vulnerable older adults especially refugees and older women, provide health insurance, enhance access to health care facilities, and manage chronic medical illnesses comprehensively are urgently needed to improve independence of community-living older adults and to promote healthy aging.

Displacing Territory: Syrian and Palestinian Refugees in Jordan Karen Culcasi

Displacing Territory: Syrian and Palestinian Refugees in Jordan Karen Culcasi

PTSD, depression, and migration-related experiences among Syrian refugees living in camp vs urban settings.

Despite the increased heterogeneity of living conditions of refugees in recent years, there is a lack of robust epidemiological data about the relationship between refugees' mental health and their living contexts. The current study aims to compare frequencies of pre-migration traumatic events and post-migration difficulties between refugees living in camps and those living in cities; and to identify the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and factors associated with them. A field survey was conducted among 1,470 refugees living in camps and urban settings of Turkey. The survey instruments included a socio-demographic form, the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, the Post-migration Living Difficulties Scale, and the PTSD and depression modules of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Both PTSD and depression were more common in urban settings than in camps. Both disorders were associated with living context and migration-related experiences. Pre-migration traumas were more frequent among refugees living in cities than in those living in camps, while post-migration difficulties were more common in the refugees living in camps. The living context is potentially a critical determinant of refugee mental health. Camp and urban refugees may have different experiences and needs. In particular, refugees living in some urban settings may be at higher risk for having psychological problems.

Syrian refugees’ vision for quality education in a Lebanese public school: a participatory visual research

This study explores the quality of education delivered to Syrian students in a public school in Lebanon. Concepts of agency and empowerment are at the heart of this discussion. To address the current lack of student-centred perspectives on schooling in this context, this study supplements the Capability Approach (CA) with a social justice framework and uses visual and art-based methods to gain insights into what these young people have reason to value. It examines the value of combining theoretical insights, analytical approaches and methods that share a commitment to honouring participant agency. Analysis of input from children advocates considering the concept of ‘care’ as an integral dimension to social justice in the context of this study. It also suggests the need for implementing negative and positive peacebuilding strategies and contemplating the relationship between art education and school violence. We argue for a whole-child approach to refugee education, drawing connections between cognitive academic learning and affective embodied wellbeing. We conclude the study by discussing these findings and shedding light on the significance of our theoretical and methodological choices and their potential to inspire future research endeavours and explorations.

The Bordering Practices of Canadian Newspapers (2011-2022): “Canada is the Hope of the World”

This paper is based on a frame analysis of the media portrayal of Syrian refugees in the three highest circulating Canadian newspapers from 2011 to 2022. From 2011 to 2013 the focus was on the conflict being far away, confusing and complicated but not Canada’s concern. From 2014 to 2016, the conflict became urgent to Canadians and their politicians. From 2017 to 2022, as policy changed to actively soliciting refugees to come to Canada, the focus emphasized the inadequacies of resources available to refugees and bureaucratic snafus. There was little reporting about Syrian refugees as people, but when given a voice they were portrayed as grateful and heroic.

A Double-Edged Sword? The Role of Digital Technologies in Marriage and Divorce Among Syrian Refugees in Northern Jordan

A Double-Edged Sword? The Role of Digital Technologies in Marriage and Divorce Among Syrian Refugees in Northern Jordan

Refugee women in the informal health sector in Lebanon: Gendered experiences of close to community healthcare providers during the COVID-19 response

IntroductionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, Close-to-Community (CTC) healthcare providers emerged to compensate for the lack of healthcare workers in areas with high concentrations of Syrian refugees. Gender norms and power relations shaped the experiences of those CTC providers. MethodologyA qualitative study explored the lived experiences of men and women CTC providers in Beqaa - Lebanon. It examined their gendered experiences during the COVID-19 response using in-depth interviews with informal CTC providers who are members of the Syrian refugee community themselves, and key informant interviews with their managers. Thematic data analysis and synthesis were guided by gender analysis frameworks and supported by NVivo 12. ResultsCTC providers faced many challenges in their work including illegal work, absence of benefits, high workload, insufficient income, transportation challenges, disturbances in family life, and social isolation. Working illegally as refugees led to underpayment and absence of benefits. Gender norms and power dynamics significantly influenced the experiences of these CTC providers. Women CTC providers faced increased workload, lower payment, limited opportunities for extra hours, the pressure of juggling work and family life, transport challenges, psychological distress and lack of support from their organizations. ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on how gender shapes vulnerabilities within the healthcare response. Women and men informal CTC providers experienced different challenges providing healthcare services for their communities during the COVID-19 response. There is a need to address the vulnerabilities for women CTC providers and develop and implement practical interventions to address them.

Placenta Accreta Spectrum Management and Outcomes: A Comparative Analysis of Syrian Refugees and Turkish Citizens Giving Birth in a Tertiary Hospital

Aim: Placenta accreta spectrum disorders (PAS) are a global threat to maternal well-being. The aim of this study was to assess differences in clinical characteristics and maternal outcomes between Turkish natives and Syrian refugees giving birth with a diagnosis of PAS at a tertiary centre, and to experience the management of this condition in the unique context of Türkiye, home to one of the world's largest refugee populations. Material and Method: A retrospective study was conducted using the medical records of 228 singleton pregnancies at high risk of PAS, between January 2019 and October 2022. PAS risk assessment was initially performed by ultrasound at mid-trimester, with diagnosis confirmed histologically or clinically, indicating the presence of placental retention following attempted manual removal. The study population was divided into two groups: native and refugee. We investigated disparities in demographic and medical characteristics and primary maternal and neonatal outcomes. Results: The study found an increased prevalence of previous cesarean delivery (p=0.005), anterior placenta (p

Wage-productivity gap and discrimination against Syrian refugees: Evidence from Turkey

Abstract In this paper, we introduce a unique dataset derived from a survey conducted among 450 Syrian refugee workers and the owners/managers of the firms in which they are employed in Istanbul, Turkey. We utilise this data to investigate the connection between the wage-productivity gap and perceived economic and social discrimination. The findings of the study indicate that individuals facing a wider wage-productivity gap tend to report higher levels of economic and social discrimination. These results remain consistent even after incorporating various variables at both the worker and firm levels into the analysis. These findings imply potential policy recommendations that policymakers should take into account.

Initial fire safety analysis of shelters in Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps

More than a decade had passed since the initiation of the Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. Many gray literature documents and some academic research had been produced around Zaatari and Azraq camps. However, none of the existing research has tackled the issue of fire safety in the camps extensively, despite the noticeable fire events that occur in them.In this research, two methods are used to discuss the fire risk in the Jordanian Syrian camps of Zaatari and Azraq. The first is field assessment through visual analysis supported by observatory tours and field notes on five aspects of fire risk; ignition, fire development, fire spread within a structure, fire risk between structures, and accessibility of shelters. The second is through fire experiments on shelter materials using a cone calorimeter which aimed at seeing how the original shelter materials and the amendments that the residents make to these materials, react to fire. The results are recommendations and best practices to improve fire safety in these camps and at the same time help camp planners and shelter designers in taking more fire-conscious decisions in the future.

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO CHILD MARRIAGE AMONG SYRIAN REFUGEES IN DOMIZ CAMP-KURDISTAN-IRAQ

Child marriage is an internationally recognised human rights issue that has been extensively studied by various Non-GovernmentalOrganisations and the United Nations. In response to this problem, many countries have implemented social policies aimed at addressing child marriage and several international treaties are dedicated to combatting it. This study focuses on examining the factors contributing to child marriage within refugee populations. The research methodology involved conducting in-depth interviews with ten young wives aged between 16 and 22, facilitating focus group discussions with their husbands and parents residing in Domiz Camps 1 and 2 in Kurdistan, as well as interviewing key informants who work in child protection services and social policy development. Thematic analysis was employed to identify prominent themes and subthemes based on the perspectives of participants. The research revealed that child marriage is driven by factors such as the need for safety, preservation of family honour, and economic challenges. Similar safety concerns were observed among Syrian refugees in this study, as well as in previous studies conducted on Jordanian refugees and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. This study takes a comprehensive approach by considering perspectives from young wives, their parents, husbands, and key informants when examining factors related to child marriage. Ultimately, the findings of this study will contribute to a deeper understanding of refugee issues and efforts towards protecting children’s rights within the refugee context.

To the future guests of Lesvos: Hospitality and history among Syrian refugees in Greece

ABSTRACT Syrian refugees in 2015 in Greece found themselves suspended between a tragedy they had just escaped, and the hope of safety in Europe. While their clothes were still wet from the sea, they were looking forward and planning ahead. In fleeting gatherings at the port or the registration centre, Syrian travellers exchanged advice, debated routes and destinations, and offered tea, fruit and food. In transit, they often became hosts and guests. These roles were interchangeable, yet, through the percolations of advice given and information shared, a Syrian sense of hospitality as collective recognition emerged. Connecting advice, sociality and solidarity, we argue that a different Syrian hospitality than what is usually assumed was at play. The articulation of this hospitality was different to the formulaic, hierarchical or legal prescriptions of honour and status and conflict mediation in which the duplicity of hospitality is encountered. Although at many junctures in their journeys Syrians were made reliant on regimes of ‘protection’ and ‘care’, Syrian travellers actively tried to bypass these by using the sense of hospitality as a ‘Syrian virtue’, as the heuristic of social intimacy and recognition. Through the multi-temporal uses of hospitality, a sense of history and future erupted at a time of danger and anticipation for the journey to follow, forcing Syrians to reconfigure their pasts and futures. In the form of advice given to other Syrian travellers, but also to the anthropologist, this future use of hospitality became a conduit of communication and collective belonging.

The role of environmental sensitivity in the mental health of Syrian refugee children: a multi-level analysis

Individuals with high environmental sensitivity have nervous systems that are disproportionately receptive to both the protective and imperilling aspects of the environment, suggesting their mental health is strongly context-dependent. However, there have been few consolidated attempts to examine putative markers of sensitivity, across different levels of analysis, within a single cohort of individuals with high-priority mental health needs. Here, we examine psychological (self-report), physiological (hair hormones) and genetic (polygenic scores) markers of sensitivity in a large cohort of 1591 Syrian refugee children across two waves of data. Child-caregiver dyads were recruited from informal tented settlements in Lebanon, and completed a battery of psychological instruments at baseline and follow-up (12 months apart). Univariate and multivariate Bayesian linear mixed models were used to examine a) the interrelationships between markers of sensitivity and b) the ability of sensitivity markers to predict anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and externalising behaviour. Self-reported sensitivity (using the Highly Sensitive Child Scale) significantly predicted a higher burden of all forms of mental illness across both waves, however, there were no significant cross-lagged pathways. Physiological and genetic markers were not stably predictive of self-reported sensitivity, and failed to similarly predict mental health outcomes. The measurement of environmental sensitivity may have significant implications for identifying and treating mental illness, especially amongst vulnerable populations, but clinical utility is currently limited to self-report assessment.

Prevalence and characteristics of smoking cigarette and narghile among Syrian refugee parents in Ontario, Canada.

This study aimed to explore the prevalence and associated sociodemographic, migration, and health-related factors of smoking cigarettes and narghile among Syrian refugee parents resettled in Ontario, Canada since 2015. A total of 540 Syrian refugee parents, with at least one child less than 18 years of age, were interviewed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the independent relationship between each of the associated sociodemographic, migration, and health-related factors and smoking cigarettes and narghile. The overall prevalence of smoking was 43% (cigarette = 22%, narghile = 25.6%). The average number of cigarettes smoked per day was 15.4 (SD = 10.1). With regard to smoking narghile, 18.2% of the sample smoked daily, while 35.5% and 52.9% smoked at least once weekly and occasionally, respectively. Results from multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that more fathers were at increased odds of smoking cigarettes than mothers OR (95% CI) = 6.6 (3.7-11.9), while no such difference was found for narghile smokers OR (95% CI) = 1.5 (0.9-2.6). Results showed that smoking cigarettes was associated with lower education levels and being Muslim, whereas smoking narghile was associated with younger age and alcohol use. Poor perceived mental health was significant/approached significance for both types of smoking. Greater understanding of smoking patterns of resettled refugees is needed to direct healthcare providers to offer targeted interventions for those who are most at risk.

Understanding Canada's Private Sponsorship Program: Its origins, features, and consequences

This article highlights features of Canada's private sponsorship program and ex-plains its consequences and performance. It explores which actors were involved in the private sponsorship, how domestic circumstances stimulated the application of the program, and it discusses its intended and unintended consequences. The author examines the profile of the Syrian refugees and discusses how personal characteristics may affect integration trajectories. Private sponsorship is consid-ered more effective than government-assisted sponsorship as it ensures a smooth-er, faster, and long-term integration of refugees. However, the author argues that personal profiles could play a critical role in integration process, and therefore, measuring the program's performance by only comparing it with a government-assisted program could be challenging.

A conceptual framework on pre- and post-displacement stressors: the case of Syrian refugees.

Researchers have documented multiple stressors and mental health problems along the journey of refugees as they are displaced to seek refuge in nearby and remote host countries. This article examines published research on Syrian refugees to propose a framework to conceptualize Syrian refugees' pre- and post-stressors and their collective impact on their mental health. The proposed framework provides a comprehensive understanding of the interconnected pathways between pre-displacement stressors, post-displacement stressors, and mental health outcomes for Syrian refugees. Pre-displacement stressors are best captured by the concept of trauma centrality and emotional suppression. Post-displacement stressors, categorized under financial, political, and social themes, have a direct impact on the mental health of the refugees, but could also play a partial mediating role on the impact of pre-displacement stressors on mental health. The framework suggests a direct pathway between the experience of war-related traumatic events and mental health and introduces the country of residence as a potential moderator of the severity of mental health. The latter is primarily influenced by local policies and the host communities' acceptance of refugees. We believe that the proposed framework can guide the work of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners concerned with the mental health and well-being of Syrian refugees. Additionally, although based on the experience of Syrian refugees, it presents a holistic perspective that could be adapted in other refugee settings.

Walking tours as transcultural memory activism: Referencing memories of trauma and migration to redefine urban belonging

This article maps two grids of city walking tours, conceptualizing them as expressions of transcultural memory activism. The first are walking tours in Berlin, guided by Syrian refugees, which use memorials of local traumatic history to testify to the refugees’ current traumas. The second are walking tours in an impoverished neighbourhood of south Tel Aviv, that inter-weave African asylum seekers’ travelling memories as part of the story of those streets. Analysing these tours, the article probes how references to histories of urban migration and traumatic legacies might inform contemporary political projects asserting the rights of refugees, and redefine the parameters of urban belonging. It therefore proposes a dual theoretical contribution: (1) advancing the transcultural turn in memory studies by paying greater attention to the materiality and performativity of transcultural memory and (2) enhancing research on the agency of refugees by demonstrating how they affect and expand the public memory of the contested national and urban contexts in which they travel or inhabit.

Gendered Orientalism and Syrian Women Refugees

Orientalist discourses have long recirculated the idea that Muslim women are oppressed victims of Islam; an idea that has denigrated Muslims and positioned white, Christians as superior. For Muslim women refugees specifically, the gendered orientalist discourse of victimization has reappeared on both sides of the debate on Syrian refugee resettlement in the US and Europe. Within anti-resettlement circles, the narrative of Muslim women as oppressed victims has been leveraged as a reason to stop their resettlement, because their lifestyles and values are framed as incompatible with liberal, Western societies. Pro-resettlement circles, on the other hand, often position Muslim women’s victimization as a reason to save them by resettling them. In other words, the same cultural essentialism that positions Muslim women as victims has been used to reject and to support Muslim refugee resettlement. Yet the representations of Syrian Muslim women as oppressed victims of Islam exist in stark contrast to the strong, capable, and resilient Syrian women refugees scattered across SWANA, Europe, the US, and elsewhere. Building from postcolonial, feminist literature, in this paper I first focus on the intersections of the gendered orientalism and refugee resettlement discourses, underscoring the commonality of the victim discourse on both sides of the Syrian refugee resettlement debate. I then shift to highlight the disconnect between the victim representation and the life and experiences of Syrian women refugees. This later point draws from my research on Syrian Muslim women refugees in Jordan who have managed seemingly insurmountable obstacles with strength and determination; and they have done so in part through their faith. I situate my discussion of their strength within literature on Islamic feminism and Muslim women’s agency.

Multiculturalism, social distance, and xenophobia among non-WEIRD individuals toward Syrian refugees: positive and negative emotions as moderators

Multiculturalism, social distance, and xenophobia among non-WEIRD individuals toward Syrian refugees: positive and negative emotions as moderators

VR technology and humanitarian crisis: Political ideology and the intention to donate in the case of the Syrian refugee crisis

Scholars have studied the role of technology in humanitarian crises and have noted an increase in positive attitudes and behavior. Of interest to us is Virtual Reality (VR). We set out to understand the role of VR technology and its relationships with empathy, sympathy, and donation intention in case of the Syrian refugee crisis. We conducted two experimental studies to examine these relationships, where participants watched “Clouds Over Sidra” a VR film for the United Nations. The participants in the VR condition watched the documentary using VR, while in the non-VR condition, participants watched the documentary on a computer. Our results indicate a complex picture. It seems that VR technology can increase empathy and sympathy in participants, which can lead to a higher intention to donate. However, when we tested the relationship with political ideology as a moderator, empathy did not hold. In a moderated mediation model, we found that VR technology increased sympathy, which led to higher intention to donate. This relationship was moderated by political ideology, such that self-reported liberals scored high on donation intention in both the VR and non-VR groups. However, among conservatives, participants in the VR condition showed higher intention to donate.