Syrian Refugees Struggle Annotated Bibliography

CARE. "Urban Syrian refugees struggle to make ends meet in Jordan." CARE, April 2014.

The writers conducted a household survey to assess the vulnerabilities of Syrian families during displacement. Key vulnerabilities were: 13% have psychological needs, 34% are female-headed households, 26% are pregnant women, and 51% share accommodation with other families. There is risk of sexual exploitation in a majority of the female-headed households due to a lack of stable income. A majority of Syrian women have been forced to accept marriage proposals to improve their economic well-being. These vulnerabilities have led to the deterioration of psychological and psychosocial wellbeing because of lack of resources and inability to cover monthly expenses.

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Keywords: Vulnerabilities of Syrian families, and Key vulnerabilities

UNHCR. "Syrian refugee women fight for survival as they head families alone." UNHCR, 2014.

The writers noted that as of 2014 one in every four Syrian refugee families living in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan was a female-headed household (FHH). The report notes that a majority of the FHH are overcrowded, families live in insecure shelters and are under constant threat of violence and exploitation. The writers also reported that only one-fifth of these women are employed and another one-fifth receive financial support from their adult relatives. The others are forced to send their children to work or entirely be dependent on the cash assistance from the UNHCR.

Key Words: Female-Headed Households, Insecure shelters, Under constant threat of violence and exploitation.

Okyay, Asli S. Labour Market Integration of Syrian Refugees in Germany and Turkey:Challenges and Prospects. Global Turkey in Europe, 2017.

The researchers pointed out that Germany and Turkey host the largest number of Syrian refugees in their respective geographical regions- 3.2 million in Turkey and 637,845 in Germany as of June 2017. The two countries have similar challenges in the inclusion and integration of refugees in their societies, economies and political structure. Syrian refugees have linguistic issues in their host countries, lack adequate skills and work experiences. However, the authors note that increasing their access to employment opportunities will highly likely lead to a successful outcome in their respective host countries.

Key Words: Syrian refugees, Lack of Adequate skills, Work Experiences

Doocy, Shannon, Emily Lyles, Timothy Roberton, Laila Akhu-Zaheya, Arwa Oweis, and Gilbert Burnham. "Prevalence and care-seeking for chronic diseases among Syrian refugees in Jordan." BMC Public Health 15, no. 1 (2015). doi:10.1186/s12889-015-2429-3.

The researchers conducted a study to assess the prevalence of NCDs and access to care among refugees in non-camp settings in Jordan. Respondents of the study were asked questions about hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and arthritis. The prevalence of these diseases was as follows: Hypertension (9.7%), arthritis (6.8%), diabetes (5.3%), chronic respiratory diseases (3.1%) and cardiovascular diseases (3.7%). 84.7% of the patients with one or more chronic conditions received access to care in Jordan. Medical costs and lack of adequate education were the primary barriers to access to healthcare.

Key Words: Prevalence of NCDs, Access to Care, Non-camping sites, and Primary Barriers

Kaya, Ayhan, and Aysu Kirac. Vulnerability assessment of Syrian refugees in Istanbul April 2016. Support to Life, 2016.

Study findings from the researchers on vulnerability assessment of Syrian refugees in Istanbul established that 20.8% reported that they had at least one family member that was either pregnant or lactating. 8% stated that they had one member with a chronic illness in their household. Also, 29.6% reported that at least one family member had a physical and/ or mental disability. 18.8% revealed that they had lost at least one family member during the war. Language acted as a barrier as only 9.2% of the interviewees can speak Turkish fluently. This has negatively affected their transition process.

Keywords: vulnerability assessment and Syrian refugees

Heartland Alliance International. "'No Place for People Like You' An Analysis of the Needs, Vulnerabilities and Experiences of LGBT Syrian Refugees in Lebanon." SFV Consulting Group, 2014.

The researchers conducted a needs, vulnerabilities and experience analysis of the LGBT Syrian refugees in Lebanon. 96% of the respondents stated that they had been directly threatened in Syrian for their sexual orientation. 54% had been sexually abused in Syria. Even though 56% of the LGBT Syrian refugees had been physically abused in Lebanon, only 7% reported these incidents to the security authorities. It is important to note that only 35% of the LGBT Syrian refugees who were interviewed are employed. Furthermore, 58% of the respondents described their mental health status as poor and they needed medical assistance.

Key Words: Vulnerabilities and experience, LGBT Syrian refugees, and Sexually Abused

Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration. "Syrian Refugees in Turkey: Gender Analysis." CTDC, 2015.

The writers note that the reason why a majority of Syrians are using life-threatening routes to reach European countries is due to the harsh living conditions in Turkey. They cannot work unless they have a work permit, which is difficult to obtain unless a refugee has a valid passport, residence permit, and job offer. A majority of the refugees are provided with a document known as a kimilik, which grants them the right to reside in Turkey but no employment rights. They are forced to work in the informal sector in harsh conditions that the locals are not willing to endure.

Key Words: Life-threatening routes, Harsh living conditions, and Work Permits

Hassan, G., P. Ventevogel, H. Jefee-Bahloul, A. Barkil-Oteo, and L. J. Kirmayer. "Mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of Syrians affected by armed conflict." Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences 25, no. 02 (2016), 129-141. doi:10.1017/s2045796016000044.

The researchers conducted a systematic literature review to determine the impact of cultural aspects on mental health and psychosocial well-being of the Syrian asylum seekers. Exposure to a conflict can lead to the exacerbations of pre-existing mental disorders and challenges of adapting to a new environment. The vulnerable populations include people who have been exposed to sexual or gender-based violence, children exposed to violence and the LGBT community in Syria. Several factors such as language barriers, stigma, and power dynamics affect access to mental health and psychosocial services. Sociocultural knowledge can be used to promote mental health among Syrian refugees.

Keywords: Mental Health, Psychosocial well-being, Syrian asylum seekers, and Pre-existing mental disorders

Quosh, Constanze, Liyam Eloul, and Rawan Ajlani. "Mental health of refugees and displaced persons in Syria and surrounding countries." Intervention 11, no. 3 (2013), 276-294. doi:10.1097/wtf.0000000000000013.

The researchers conducted a systematic literature review to determine the mental health status of internally displaced Syrians at the beginning of the civil war. A majority of displaced Syrians reported high levels of fatigue, fear, loss of control and family separation leading to anxiety, fear, and depressed mood. A majority of parents reported that their children exhibited signs of emotional distress such as nightmares. There are serious child protection concerns among the IDPs as there have been reports of child killings, sexual violence, torture, recruitment and use of children by armed forces.

Key Words: Mental Health Status and Emotional Distress

Hijazi, Z., and I. Weissbecker. "Syria crisis. Addressing regional mental health needs and gaps in the context of the Syria crisis. International medical corps. Washingron, DC: International Medical Corps." 2015.

The writers classified stressors that can contribute to mental health problems of the Syrian refugees into three major categories. Firstly, security for refugees in host countries bordering Syria. The host countries where they have been provided with a legal status cannot adequately protect them. Secondly, the challenge to access basic resources (health, employment, and education). Adequate access to these services in host countries is limited to refugees with legal status. Thirdly, there are tensions between the refugees and the host communities who feel that the asylum seekers are exploiting their refugee status to divert resources from the locals.

Key Words: Stressors, Mental Health Problems, and Syrian refugees

El Chammay, Rabih, Wissam Kheir, and Hala Alaouie. ASSESSMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON. UNHCR, 2013.

The researchers found out that a majority of Syrian refugees in Lebanon were unable to provide the basic needs for their families. It was also established that access to health care among the physically and mentally disabled was a challenge, and this was a contributing factor to the diagnosis of mental health disorders. Most women were subjected to sexual harassment by service providers in host countries when seeking food aid or any other form of assistance. These stressors are a contributing factor to a high prevalence rate of mental health issues among Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Keywords: Physically and Mentally Disabled, Syrian Refugees, and Access to healthcare.

Gammouh, Omar S., Ahmed M. Al-Smadi, Loai I. Tawalbeh, and Laurice S. Khoury. "Chronic Diseases, Lack of Medications, and Depression Among Syrian Refugees in Jordan, 2013-2014." Preventing Chronic Disease 12 (2015). doi:10.5888/pcd12.140424.

The writers conducted a study to determine the relationship between the prevalence of depression, lack of medication, and chronic diseases among Syrian refugees living in Jordan. 33% of the participants in this study were diagnosed with depression. In 35% of the research participants' depression was comorbid with a previously diagnosed chronic disease, while 40% of the participants had newly diagnosed chronic diseases. Newly diagnosed chronic illnesses and lack of adequate medications contributed to depression in this study. However, there is a need to conduct more studies to ascertain this relationship.

Key Words: Prevalence of Depression, Lack of Medication, Jordan, Chronic Diseases, and Syrian Refugees

Tinghog, Petter, Andreas Malm, Charlotta Arwidson, Erika Sigvardsdotter, Andreas Lundin, and Fredrik Saboonchi. "Prevalence of mental ill health, traumas and postmigration stress among refugees from Syria resettled in Sweden after 2011: a population-based survey." BMJ Open 7, no. 12 (2017), e018899. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018899.

The researchers' findings indicated that the prevalence rates of anxiety, depression, low subjective well-being and PTSD ranged between 30-40%. Mental ill health issues are more common among women, older, and divorced or widowed refugees than any other group. Potentially traumatic events (PTE) and post-migration stress were found to be contributing factors to the mental health issues. 30% of the refugees have experienced torture, while 50% often felt sad because they had not been reunited with their family members. Also, PTEs and post-migration stress were highly associated with anxiety, depression, low SWB and PTSD issues among the Syrian refugees.

Key Words: Mental Ill Health, Potentially Traumatic Events and Post-Migration Stress

Alpak, Gokay, Ahmet Unal, Feridun Bulbul, Eser Sagaltici, Yasin Bez, Abdurrahman Altindag, Alican Dalkilic, and Haluk A. Savas. "Post-traumatic stress disorder among Syrian refugees in Turkey: A cross-sectional study." International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice 19,...