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

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Skander M'zah, Emory University; Barbara Lopes Cardozo, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dabney Evans, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2019-10-01
• Publisher: SPRINGER
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2018, Springer Science Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0806-6
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JOURNAL OF IMMIGRANT AND MINORITY HEALTH
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 5
• Start Page: 1019
• End Page: 1025
• Keywords: PTSD; HARVARD TRAUMA QUESTIONNAIRE; TORTURE; Anxiety; Refugees; Science & Technology; Syria; Depression; Mental health; Global health security; INSTRUMENT; POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Psychological distress; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; BHUTANESE REFUGEES; DEPRESSION; SYMPTOMS

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.