Mental health of Syrian refugees : translating epidemiology and research into policy and practice

Abstract EN

Bckground : the Syrian conflict, now in its eleventh year, has been described by the united nations as the worst complex humanitarian emergency since world war ii.

it has resulted in widespread and profound adverse mental health and psychosocial consequences for Syrians who were internally displaced and refugees in neighboring countries.

aims : the aims of this narrative overview are to examine the epidemiology research on the burden of mental disorders in displaced Syrians ; to review the evidence base for psychosocial interventions and to translate these findings into effective health policies and practice.

method : databases were searched for this review, including PubMed and google scholar.

search terms included conflict, epidemiology, mental disorders, cultural issues, intervention, mental health, capacity building, policy, practice, psychosocial support, Syrian refugees, and treatment.

we included only English language papers.

the final search was done on 17 may 2021.

results : many relevant studies, reviews and un and who resources were identified and included in this review.

the findings were summarized into the following subcategories: epidemiology and burden of mental disorders among Syrians, MHPSS interventions for Syrian refugees, building capacity for MHPSS for Syrian refugees and translating research evidence into policy and best practice.

conclusions : there are formidable challenges to the provision of MHPSS for Syrian refugees.

there is need for more research on the long-term consequences of the conflict on all Syrians, on evaluation of MHPSS within complex interventions and models of care and on the challenges of their implementation to inform optimal health policies and best practice.