Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most prevalent mental disorders in war-affected regions. Syria has endured 9 years of war and yet little is known about the impact of the conflict... In this cross-sectional study, we investigated trauma and PTSD prevalence among university students in Deir-ez-Zor, a Syrian governorate that was under the siege by ISIS for over 3 years.PTSD Check... Antecedentes: El trastorno de estrés postraumático es uno de los trastornos mentales más prevalentes en las regiones afectadas por la guerra. Siria ha soportado 9 años de guerra y, sin embargo, se ... 背景: PTSD 是受战争影响地区最普遍的精神障碍之一。叙利亚已经经历了 9 年的战争, 但对冲突对留下来的叙利亚人幸福感的影响知之甚少。在本研究中, 我们考查了代尔祖尔 (一个被 ISIS 围困了 3 年多的叙利亚省) 大学生的创伤和 PTSD 流行率。方法: 在一个代尔祖尔阿尔富拉特大学的大学生样本使用了描述性横断面研究设计。我们收集了关于社会人口统计学, 创伤暴露和压力水平的数据。 使...

This study aims to assess the prevalence of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 outbreak embedded within the war in Syria. A web-based cross-sectional survey design was employed. The 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire and the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale revealed a high prevalence of depressive (n = 3326; 83.4%) and anxiety symptoms (n = 2777; 69.6%) among the 3989 participants. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with depression and anxiety. There is an urgent need within the healthcare system in Syria to provide mental healthcare to alleviate acute mental health disturbances and associated physical health perceptions among Syrians.

COVID-19 pandemic has led to psychological health issues one of which is fear. This study validates the Arabic version of the fear of COVID-19 scale and suggests a new cutoff score to measure fear of COVID-19 among the Syrian Population. A total of 3989 participants filled an online survey consisting of socio-demographic information, the fear of COVID-19 scale, the patient health questionnaire 9-item, and the generalized anxiety disorder 7-item. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to define cutoff scores for the fear of COVID-19 scale in relation to generalized anxiety disorder 7-item and the patient health questionnaire 9-item. The Cronbach α value of the Arabic fear of COVID-19 scale was 0.896, revealing good stability and internal consistency. The inter-item correlations were between [0.420–0.868] and the corrected item-total correlations were between [0.614–0.768]. A cutoff point of 17.5 was deduced from the analysis. According to the deduced cutoff point, 2111(52.9%) were categorized as extreme fear cases. This cutoff score deduced from this study can be used for screening purposes to distinguish community members that may be prone to developing extreme fear of COVID-19. Therefore, early preventive and supportive measures can then be delivered.

Syrian eating habits are trending towards westernized patterns that are high in carbohydrates, fats, and meat. This accompanied by an increasingly sedentary lifestyle has affected young adults’ dietary habits. As a consequence, obesity and overweight young adults are significantly increasing in prevalence. This study aims to assess the pattern of eating habits and their relation with psychosocial factors among university students.

Objectives To gauge specific knowledge around clinical features, transmission pathways and prevention methods, and to identify factors associated with poor knowledge to help facilitate outbreak management in Syria during this rapid global rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design Web-based cross-sectional survey. Setting This study was conducted in March 2020, nearly 10 years into the Syrian war crisis. The Arabic-language survey was posted on various social media platforms including WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and Facebook targeting various social groups. Participants A total of 4495 participants completed the survey. Participants with a history of COVID-19 infection, residing outside Syria or who did not fully complete the survey were excluded from the study. The final sample of 3586 participants (completion rate=79.8%) consisted of 2444 (68.2%) females and 1142 (31.8%) males. Primary and secondary outcome measures First, knowledge of COVID-19 in four areas (general knowledge; transmission pathways; signs and symptoms; prevention methods). Second, factors associated with poor knowledge. Results Of the 3586 participants, 2444 (68.2%) were female, 1822 (50.8%) were unemployed and 2839 (79.2%) were college educated. The study revealed good awareness regarding COVID-19 (mean 75.6%, SD ±9.4%). Multiple linear regression analysis correlated poor mean knowledge scores with male gender (β=−0.933, p=0.005), secondary school or lower education level (β=−3.782, p<0.001), non-healthcare occupation (β=−3.592, p<0.001), low economic status (β=−0.669, p5 household members (β=−1.737, p<0.001). Conclusion This study revealed some potentially troubling knowledge gaps which underscore the need for a vigorous public education campaign in Syria. This campaign must reinforce the public’s awareness, knowledge and vigilance towards precautionary measures against COVID-19, and most importantly aid in controlling the worldwide spread of the disease.

The devastating Syrian crisis has raised concern regarding the social acceptance of smoking especially with water pipe use becoming a growing epidemic. We aim to determine the prevalence of cigarette and water pipe smoking among university students, along with identifying the addictive behavior among university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Syrian Private University during World No-Tobacco Day, in Damascus, Syria during the war crisis. The survey consists of 4 sections: socio-demographic information, Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence, attitude towards water pipes, and perspective about smoking. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Sciences version 25.0 (SPSS Inc., United States.) Of the 622 participants, 429 (69%) were males with a mean age of 21.3 ± 3.1 years. The prevalence of tobacco smoking was 320 (51.4%), 208 (23.8%) for cigarettes, and 112 (18.0%) for water pipe. Smoking was significantly higher among male non-medical university students. The majority were low to moderate dependent when assessed by the Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence. This study showed a very high prevalence of smoking indicating the need for smoking cessation programs, access to effective quitting treatments, and mass media campaigns to diminish smoking among the youth.