Evaluation of Mental Health Problems of Syrian People Under Temporary State Protection in Türkiye: The Role of Refugee Health Screener-15.

Abstract

Since the Syrian civil war, Türkiye has received more than 3.6 million Syrian people who sought protection and have been provided a temporary state protection status, making the country the largest host country in the world. This study aimed to investigate depression and anxiety levels of Syrian people accommodated in a relatively developed part of a south-eastern city, Şanlıurfa. Adaptation of the Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15) scale, an objectively designed screening tool for prevalent mental disorders among refugees, is another distinctive feature of this investigation. Using a snowball sampling method, 454 Syrian people aged 18 or older were administered four inventories in their Arabic and Turkish, including the Refugee Health Screener-15 (RHS-15), Beck Anxiety Scale (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI), and Post Migration Living Difficulties Checklist (PMLD). Using a path analysis model, the mediating role of the RHS-15 was examined in the effect of the PMLD, which is considered one-dimensional, on the BAI and BDI variables. The study showed low levels of depression (8.51 ± 2.96) and anxiety (7.86 ± 2.43) that corresponded well to low RHS-15 (6.36 ± 2.31) and PMLD (15.64 ± 2.83) scores. In path analysis, the RHS variable has a significant direct effect on the BAI and BDI variables, with an increase in the RHS variable correlated with an increase in the BAI variable and BDI variable, respectively. The RHS-15 scores were significantly higher among married participants, those with poor financial status, those having 3-4 children and those with physical problems. A more reflective population sample would provide better insight into depression and anxiety levels of Syrian people accommodated in Türkiye.