Factors related to posttraumatic growth and psychological problems in Syrian adolescents

Millions of people were forced to immigrate and find asylum in other countries due to the Syrian civil war. Almost half of these asylum-seekers are under the age of 18. Studies on the psychological impact of war on Syrian adolescents are quite important. However, in most studies, only the negative effects of the war were addressed and the positive change experienced after the trauma was not mentioned. The aim of this study is to examine posttraumatic growth (PTG) and psychological problems associated with trauma among Syrian adolescents. The effects of traumatic experience, perceived social support, and religious coping on PTG and psychological problems are discussed. For this purpose, a total number of 431 Syrian asylum-seekers between the ages of 12- 18 were included in the study. The sample of the study consists of 244 (56.6%) female and 187 (43.4%) male participants whom were reached through nine secondary schools, eight high schools, two temporary education centers and a non-governmental organization in Istanbul. Along with the demographic information form the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Cumulative Trauma Scale (CTS-S), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Depression Anxiety Stress 21 Scale (DASS21), Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE) and Revised Child Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-8) were administered to the participants. Results of the analysis show that 53.13% (n = 229) of Syrian adolescents have experienced PTG, while 26.68% (n = 115), 65.89% (n = 284), 79.35% (n = 342) of them have experienced posttraumatic stress, depression and anxiety symptoms respectively. As a result of regression analysis, it was found that social support from family and friends, positive religious coping, and frequency of traumatic experiences contribute to PTG. Also perceived social support from family, negative religious coping, older age, and frequency of traumatic experience predicted depression and anxiety while it was observed that older age, positive and negative religious coping, and frequency of traumatic experience predicted post-traumatic stress symptoms. The current study reveals that positive changes can be seen along with psychological problems in Syrian adolescents after war trauma, and social support and religious coping can contribute to the psychological health of Syrian adolescents. The findings were discussed in the light of the relevant literature and suggestions were made for future studies.