Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 21, Issue 5, 2019, Pages 1019-1025

Mental Health Status and Service Assessment for Adult Syrian Refugees Resettled in Metropolitan Atlanta: A Cross-Sectional Survey (Article)

M’zah S.* , Lopes Cardozo B. , Evans D.P.
  • a Center for Humanitarian Emergencies, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States, Tunis, Tunisia
  • b Emergency Response and Recovery Branch, Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
  • c Center for Humanitarian Emergencies, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States

Abstract

Because little is known about the mental health status of Syrian refugees in the United States, we conducted a survey among a convenience sample of those resettled in Atlanta between March 2011 and 2017. Though home visits, we delivered a questionnaire including standardized instruments (HSCL25 and PTSD-8) to assess symptoms of anxiety, depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. We found high rates of anxiety (60%), depression (44%) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (84%) symptoms; however, only 20% of participants had seen a mental health professional. Reported reasons for not seeking professional help were lack of transportation and access to information. Findings of this survey indicate the high burden of mental health symptoms and the need for services to the study population. A longitudinal study with a larger sample size would improve the understanding of mental health needs and resilience factors of Syrian refugees resettled in the US. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Author Keywords

Global health security Depression Mental health Refugees Anxiety PTSD Psychological distress Syria

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85051700021&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-018-0806-6&partnerID=40&md5=75e40e1a298677b148db9d1785d7565c
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-018-0806-6
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 3
Original Language: English