Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety in adult Syrian refugees: What do we know?

Abstract

Background: The crisis in Syria has resulted in vast numbers of refugees seeking asylum in Syria’s neighboring countries and Europe. Refugees are at considerable risk of developing common mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Since the war, no systematic review has been conducted regarding the prevalence of these in the Syrian refugee group. Research is needed to develop strategies to improve the integration of Syrian refugees. Objective: This study provides a systematic review of peer-reviewed articles that feature originally collected data regarding the prevalence of post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety in adult Syrian refugees. Methods: The authors searched online databases (PsychInfo, PubMed, PILOTS) for peer-reviewed articles that used validated screening tools to provide mental health prevalence rate estimates in adult Syrian refugees. This article explores potential sources of heterogeneity, including individual risk factors such as demographic and environmental variables. Results: In total, 15 eligible studies provided cross-sectional data for 8176 adult Syrian refugees resettled in 10 countries, with significant variation in assessment and sampling methods. Combined, these studies indicate prevalence rates of 43.0% (range: 23.4–83.4%) for post-traumatic stress, 40.9% (range: 20–44.1%) for depression, and 26.6% (range: 19.30–31.8%) for anxiety morbidity in adult Syrian refugees. Larger and more rigorous surveys reported similar prevalence rates to studies with less rigorous designs, but vast heterogeneity in prevalence of morbidity persisted among all. Conclusions: Syrian refugees could be over 10 times more likely to develop post-traumatic stress and other disorders than the general population. Although there are limitations when comparing studies with different research methodologies, the results of this study suggest increased focus on adequate mental health support is necessary.