This research aimed to investigate the relationship between stressful life events, trauma, and psychiatric symptoms with psychological resilience as mediator and self-esteem as moderator effects in Syrian adolescents. A total of 1045 Syrian adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years completed the Stressful Life Events Questionnaire, Child and Youth Resilience Measure, Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale, Traumatic Stress Response Scale for Adolescents, and Hopkins Symptom Checklist-37A for Adolescents Scale. The study showed that resilience and self-esteem mediated the relationships between the stressful life events and traumatic stress and anxiety, depression, and externalization. Resilience also had a moderator effect on the relationships between stressful life events – traumatic stress response, and stressful life events-depression. The author suggests that resilience and self-esteem play an important role to understand the relationship between stressful life events, trauma, and psychiatric symptoms in Syrian adolescents.
1 February 2024 in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Prior studies comparing Syrian refugee adolescents to their native peers in the same region have found higher anxiety and lower life satisfaction. Therefore, identifying regulatory variables is crucial for implementing support programs. This study examined the mediating effect of peer relationships and the moderating effect of being a refugee or native adolescent on the relationship between adolescent anxiety and life satisfaction across different samples. Participants and setting: The study included 2,336 adolescents aged 11–19 (M = 14.79, SD = 1.04). Participants completed the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The mediation and moderation effects were analyzed with the path analysis codes written on Mplus 8.3. SPSS 26 was used for descriptive statistics and group comparisons. The findings showed that peer relationships mediate adolescent anxiety and life satisfaction, and this relationship is moderated according to whether the participants are native adolescents or refugee adolescents. This study highlights the significant associations between peer relationships, adolescent anxiety, and life satisfaction and the moderating role of the participant identity. The findings may inform psychological interventions to improve Syrian refugee adolescents' mental health and well-being. These findings may also have implications for policies and programs aimed at supporting the integration of Syrian refugee adolescents in host communities.
17 February 2025 in International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being
Previous studies reveal the importance of proximal context and social environment in the adaptation and resilience of immigrant adolescents. Syrian immigrant youth in Turkey face stressors such as acculturation, discrimination, and economic problems. However, more qualitative research is needed to examine the unique stressors and coping processes of Syrian immigrant youth and the social networks that support them. This study aimed to uncover the relevant unique relationships. The study involved 24 Syrian migrant adolescents aged 12-18, with four focus group interviews conducted from April to May 2024. Data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The themes related to sources of stress were (a) life struggle, (b) peer relationships, (c) future anxiety, (d) social barriers, and the social support mechanisms in times of stress were discovered as (a) family (b) clergy and religious rituals (c) non-governmental organizations (d) school counselors. The results of our study shed light on the fact that Syrian migrant youth experience significant socioeconomic difficulties and are forced to leave formal education and work in unequal conditions. Our study also revealed that youths have difficulties in accessing education, health, and professional psychological support services due to perceived discrimination in public institutions such as schools and hospitals.
Previous studies have shown associations between internalizing and externalizing symptoms, executive functions, and empathy. However, the mechanisms that affect this relationship remain unclear. This study employed regression analysis to explore the relationships between empathy, executive functions, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Our study consisted of three consecutive stages. In the first stage, we assessed 2150 adolescents' parents aged 10–12 using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to determine which participants should be included in the subsequent stages. In the second stage, we conducted a pilot study with 50 participants to assess the validity of the assessment system and the six film scenes to be used in the following stage. Finally, in the third stage, we obtained 170 participants' state empathy, trait empathy, and executive functioning. The regression analysis showed that working memory (β = 0.261) and externalizing symptoms (β = -0.157) predicted cognitive empathy, but only externalizing symptoms predicted affective empathy (β = -0.193). The regression analysis also showed that cognitive empathy (β = -0.513) and affective empathy (β = -0.535) predicted externalizing symptoms, but only inhibition predicted internalizing symptoms (β = 0.158). This population-based study highlights the reciprocal effects of externalizing symptoms on cognitive and affective empathy. No significant relationship was found between internalizing symptoms and empathy. This study also highlights the effect of working memory on cognitive empathy. These findings may inform psychological interventions to improve empathic abilities in early adolescence.
25 December 2024 in Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar
In today's world, the main problem affecting all humanity, especially children and adolescents, is the phenomenon of migration. In acculturation due to migration, the influence of dominant culture and ethnic identities on each other is discussed. Acculturation changes ethnic identities; acculturation stress experienced in this change affects adolescent mental health. In recent years, the effects of acculturation strategies preferred by majority and minority cultures on mental health and psychological well-being have been evaluated from a broad perspective. In this study, the relationships between acculturation, ethnic identity, and mental health are examined comprehensively, the literature on adolescent mental health findings is evaluated comparatively, and various suggestions are made for possible results. No systematic review study on this subject was found in the national and international literature. Early studies, in particular, found a positive relationship between adolescents' ability to identify with the dominant culture and mental health. However, today, the characteristics of the immigrant and the dominant culture are considered two-dimensionally, and it turns out that maintaining adaptation to both cultures positively affects mental health. In addition, the effectiveness of psychiatric interventions leads adoption of the society of immigrant/refugee adolescents is discussed in detail. More studies are needed to determine which acculturation processes positively affect adolescents' mental health.
18 June 2025 in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health
Background: Previous studies have demonstrated the existence of complex associations between stress, loneliness, depression, anxiety, and smartphone addiction in adolescents. However, the paucity of studies evaluating the relevant relationships in migrant adolescents demands the elimination of uncertainty in a sample of adolescents exposed to trauma and chronic stressors. Method: This study utilizes network analysis to identify the central factors and potential bridging paths among these variables. Identifying central symptom clusters contributing to the maintenance of the overall network provides potential targets for clinical or policy-level interventions. Network analysis also enables a more nuanced understanding of how internalizing symptoms and behavioral dysregulation co-occur and reinforce one another. Employing 836 Syrian refugee adolescents, we obtained a stable network of the above variables. Results: Our results revealed that problematic smartphone use (PSU) was the most central node in the network. Both generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder also emerged as central nodes, reinforcing their transdiagnostic relevance. Bridge expected influence analysis revealed that stress, GAD, and PSU were key connectors between symptom domains. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that PSU may not simply be a byproduct of emotional problems but a key component of psychopathology in refugee adolescents. Notably, PSU exhibited strong partial correlations with GAD and social anxiety disorder, supporting prior research that links maladaptive smartphone use to emotional dysregulation and anxiety-related avoidance. Future research investigating protective factors, such as family support, peer support, and cultural integration, in the correlations between PSU and psychopathologies will lead to the development of effective interventions.