Health-Related Quality of Life and Life Satisfaction in a Greek Refugee Accommodation Center

Thomas D Plakas; Vassilis H Aletras; Eirini I Voutsa; Dimitris Niakas

doi:10.7759/cureus.42005

Health-Related Quality of Life and Life Satisfaction in a Greek Refugee Accommodation Center

Cureus. 2023 Jul 17;15(7):e42005. doi: 10.7759/cureus.42005. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Authors

Thomas D Plakas¹, Vassilis H Aletras², Eirini I Voutsa³, Dimitris Niakas⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Social Sciences, Hellenic Open University, Patras, GRC.
² Department of Business Administration, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, GRC.
³ School of Informatics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC.
⁴ Department of Health Economics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GRC.

Abstract

Introduction In recent years, a large number of refugees have crossed the Greek borders. The aim of this study was to estimate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and life satisfaction (LS) of refugees and asylum seekers residing in the Vagiochori Accommodation Center. Methods The Short Form-36 (SF-36) survey tool and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) were employed for the analysis. The sample consists of 144 individuals with an average age of 39.4 years, most of which are Afghans, married, and have a secondary education level. Non-parametric tests examined the association of respondents' demographics and health-related and residence-related characteristics with the physical component scale (PCS) and mental component scale (MCS) of SF-36 and SWLS. Regression analysis was used to examine the effect of these variables on dependent scales. Results HRQoL and LS of the participants were poor (median scores: PCS = 44.91, MCS = 42.05, and SWLS = 12.00). Age, gender, education, marital status, and specific health-related and residence-related characteristics were associated with HRQoL (p < 0.05). Marital status and specific health-related and residence-related characteristics were associated with SWLS. Conclusion In summary, social support, legal counseling, and a better understanding of refugees' concerns are required to improve refugees' and asylum seekers' HRQoL and LS.

Keywords: asylum seekers; health-related quality of life; life satisfaction; quality of life; refugees.