Psychosocial concerns among refugees from Syria in Jordan
Citation: Wells R, Steel Z, Abo-Hilal M, et al. Psychosocial concerns reported by Syrian refugees living in Jordan: systematic review of unpublished needs assessments. British Journal of Psychiatry. 2016;209(2):99-106.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: Nothing noted.
What is this? In this systematic review, the authors searched for assessments of needs among refugees from Syria in Jordan. They restricted their searches to articles published in English between February 2011 and June 2015. The authors searched in June 2015 and found 29 reports.
What was found: Refugees from Syria who lived in Jordan expressed anguish and fear in response to traumatic events and the challenges of displacement. Their loss of role and social support, as well as a sense of inactivity, contributed to their psychosocial distress, which was exacerbated by financial difficulties, inadequate housing, and unemployment.
Implications: The authors of the review stated the importance for humanitarian organisations to undertake needs assessments with refugees to ensure that their perspectives are better represented. Participatory engagement strategies could improve social support for refugees and the sustainability and relevance of aid programmes.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of place of residence and race, ethnicity, culture, and language.
This summary was prepared by Joly Ghanawi, checked by Grace Meng, and finalized by William Summerskill.