Search

The Syrian conflict has created approximately five million refugees. Of these, more than one million have settled in Lebanon. This project aimed to determine the prevalence of psychological distress (PD) amongst Syrian refugee mothers compared to a control group of local mothers living in the same informal urban settlement in Beirut. A convenient sample was selected from a primary care center. The General Health Questionnaire-12 items (GHQ-12) was administered to determine PD amongst women who were pregnant within 2 years of the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Sixty women were enrolled; 35 were Syrian refugees. All women had PD. The mean GHQ-12 scores were 7.5 and 7.2 for the control and Syrian refugee mothers, respectively. When asked about stressors, 91.7% of the women stated poverty. Syrian refugee women had similar PD as women who were not displaced and did not experience direct war related hostilities.

This pilot study compares symptoms of depression and risk factors amongst Syrian refugees and low-income Lebanese mothers accessing a primary care centre in Beirut between January and June 2018. Women who gave birth in the previous two years or who were currently pregnant were included in the study. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Arabic Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Correlations between EPDS score and sociodemographic and mental health variables were analysed using Pearson's coefficient and ANOVA. 35 Syrian and 25 Lebanese women were recruited, 15 of whom were pregnant. EPDS scores were high in the whole group (mean 16.12 (SD 7.72), n = 60). Scores were higher amongst Syrian refugees than Lebanese mothers (17.77, SD 7.66 vs, 13.80, SD 7.34, p < 0.05). Illegal residence (p < 0.001), domestic violence (p < 0.05) and a history of mental illness (p < 0.01) were associated with higher scores. This pilot study demonstrates high rates of symptoms of depression amongst mothers in this population. Symptoms were particularly prevalent amongst Syrian refugees; three-quarters were 'probably depressed' and would warrant psychiatric assessment. This highlights the importance of improved mental healthcare for refugee mothers, the importance of addressing the social determinants of maternal mental health and further research into the effects of depression on these women and their children.