Identifying psychosocial problems, needs, and coping mechanisms of adolescent Syrian refugees in Jordan

Tariq N Al-Shatanawi; Yousef Khader; Husam ALSalamat; Lourance Al Hadid; Alaa Jarboua; Basil Amarneh; Osama Alkouri; Mahmoud A Alfaqih; Nasr Alrabadi

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1184098

Identifying psychosocial problems, needs, and coping mechanisms of adolescent Syrian refugees in Jordan

Front Psychiatry. 2023 Jun 22:14:1184098. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1184098. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Tariq N Al-Shatanawi¹, Yousef Khader², Husam ALSalamat^{1

3}, Lourance Al Hadid⁴, Alaa Jarboua⁵, Basil Amarneh⁶, Osama Alkouri⁷, Mahmoud A Alfaqih^{8

9}, Nasr Alrabadi¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt, Jordan.
² Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
³ Department of Biopharmaceutics and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
⁴ Faculty of Nursing, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt, Jordan.
⁵ Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
⁶ Department of Community and Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
⁷ Faculty of Nursing, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan.
⁸ Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
⁹ Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
¹⁰ Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.

Abstract

Background: Refugees who have fled war zones are at a heightened risk of psychosocial problems that can impact their ability to function in day-to-day life and place a significant burden on the family structure. This study aimed to assess the psychosocial problems and needs and coping mechanisms of Adolescent Syrian refugees in Jordan.

Methods: Between October and December 2018, we conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with a sample of key and individual informants. Our sample included 20 primary healthcare professionals, 20 schoolteachers, 20 Syrian parents, and 20 adolescents aged 12-17 years. All interviews were transcribed verbatim, and we utilized thematic analysis to group, categorize, and analyze the original Arabic language transcripts. To ensure thorough analysis, we adopted a bottom-up inductive approach that covered the six-phase iterative process proposed by Braun and Clarke.

Results: The main psychosocial problems encountered by Syrian adolescents included stress, depression, loneliness, lack of a sense of security, isolation, aggressiveness, fear of war, and family disintegration. Almost all schoolteachers reported that they observed that Jordanian adolescents are more settled, self-confident, and financially stable relative to their Syrian peers. The Jordanian government and community were praised for their support, including education, recreational centers, health services, and awareness campaigns. Going to school, praying and reading the Holy Quran, listening to music, and talking to friends and engaging with them were reported as the main coping mechanisms. The majority of respondents said that more services are still needed for adolescents, including more places for entertainment, psychosocial support and psychological counseling, medical care, job creation, and providing health insurance.

Conclusion: Syrian refugees are aware of the psychological aspects of their situation, but they are not always able to access clinic-based humanitarian assistance for mental health and psychosocial support. Stakeholders must interact with refugees to learn about their needs and develop services that are appropriate for their culture.

Keywords: Syrian refugees; adolescents; coping mechanism; needs; psychosocial problems.