Perceived stress among university students: Syrian refugees versus Jordanians

Alhalaiqa, Fadwa; Masa’Deh, Rami; Alyami, Mansour Saleh; Al‐Ghabeesh, Suhair Hussni; Rayan, Ahmad; Shawashreh, Atef; Omari, Omar Al

doi:10.1007/s10389-020-01261-8

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Additionally, translators were present during the data assessment when needed. The measures have been previously used with forcibly displaced people (15,(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28), have been validated in English, Arabic, Farsi, and French , and had acceptable or good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha >0.7) in our pilot study 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1179756 Frontiers in Public Health 04 frontiersin.org (51). We used clinically relevant cut-offs to determine prevalence rates of mental distress.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological well-being, mental distress, metabolic syndrome, and associated factors among people living in a refugee camp in Greece: a cross-sectional study

Knappe

Filippou

Hatzigeorgiadis

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundForcibly displaced people face various challenges and are therefore at higher risk of being affected by mental and physiological distress. The present study aimed to determine levels of psychological well-being, PTSD symptom severity, metabolic syndrome, and associated factors among forcibly displaced people in Greece in response to WHO’s call for evidence-based public health policies and programs for forcibly displaced people.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study among n = 150 (50% women) forcibly displaced people originating from Sub-Sahara Africa and Southwest Asia living in a Greek refugee camp. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess psychological well-being, symptoms of PTSD, depression, generalized anxiety disorder and insomnia, perceived stress, headache, and perceived fitness. Cardiovascular risk markers were assessed to determine metabolic syndrome, and cardiorespiratory fitness was measured with the Åstrand-Rhyming Test of Maximal Oxygen Uptake.ResultsThe prevalence of mental distress and physiological disorders was overall elevated. Only 53.0% of participants rated their psychological well-being as high. Altogether, 35.3% scored above the clinical cut-off for PTSD, 33.3% for depression, 27.9% for generalized anxiety disorder, and 33.8% for insomnia. One in four (28.8%) participants met criteria for metabolic syndrome. While the prevalence of moderate or severe insomnia symptoms and metabolic syndrome differed little from the global population, the risk of being affected by mental distress was markedly increased. In multivariable analysis, higher perceived fitness was associated with higher psychological well-being (OR = 1.35, p = 0.003) and a decreased likelihood for metabolic syndrome (OR = 0.80, p = 0.031). Participants with elevated psychiatric symptoms were less likely to report high psychological well-being (OR = 0.22, p = 0.003) and had increased odds for higher PTSD severity (OR = 3.27, p = 0.034). Increased stress perception was associated with higher PTSD symptoms (OR = 1.13, p = 0.002).ConclusionThere is an elevated risk for mental distress compared to the global population and an overall high mental and physiological burden among people living in a Greek refugee camp. The findings underpin the call for urgent action. Policies should aim to reduce post-migration stressors and address mental health and non-communicable diseases by various programs. Sport and exercise interventions may be a favorable add-on, given that perceived fitness is associated with both mental and physiological health benefits.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological well-being, mental distress, metabolic syndrome, and associated factors among people living in a refugee camp in Greece: a cross-sectional study

Knappe

Filippou

Hatzigeorgiadis

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Another study conducted by Alhalaiqa et al. ( F. Alhalaiqa et al., 2020 ) reported a mean PSS of 23.4 ± 6.4 for SR university students residing in Jordan. The disparity in the perceived stress levels reported among SRs in different studies may potentially reflect the differences in resettlement policies, provision of refugee services and conditions of the host countries ( K. Hadfield et al., 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Variations in perceived stress among Syrian refugee parents resettled through different sponsorship programs in Canada

Ali-Hassan

Sartipi

Jammal

et al. 2021

Journal of Migration and Health

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Background Little is known about the perceived stress level of Syrian Refugee (SR) parents residing in Canada specifically in relation to different sponsorship programs. This study aims to assess the relationship between the different sponsorship programs [Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR), Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSR) and Blended Visa Office-Referred refugees (BVOR)] and perceived stress among SR parents, with at least one child under the age of four, who resettled in the Greater Toronto area after 2015. Methods A convenience sample of 155 Syrian Refugee (SR) parents was recruited. Perceived levels of stress were measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to assess the independent relation between several types of sponsorship programs and PSS adjusting for demographic, economic and social factors. Results The overall average PSS score was found to be 12.5 ± 7.2 with BVORs presenting the highest level of moderate stress when compared to GARs and PSRs (75.0% compared to 39.5% and 35.2% respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that the mean PSS was significantly higher among BVORs when compared with GARs (Adj β = 4.8; 95% CI 0.4, 9.2). No significant difference in PSS levels was reported when PSRs were compered to GARs. Increased PSS scores were found to be associated with worse family functioning (Adj β = 4.2; 95% CI 1.0, 7.4), while decreased PSS scores were associated with increased age (Adj β = -0.4; 95% CI -0.6, -0.1). Conclusion A better understanding of the various underlying factors associated with elevated stress is essential for improving the quality of life for SRs in Canada. Results of the study may help tailor more effective preventative measures or government interventions dedicated to reducing stress levels among this population.

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“…Given that the questions are general, meaning not specific or relative to any particular subpopulation, the PSS-10 has been widely used with various samples and has been translated into many languages, maintaining a coefficient alpha from 0.75 to 0.86 in the general literature (Roberti et al, 2006). For example, the PSS-10 has been previously translated and used with a sample of Syrian refugee university students (Alhalaiqa et al, 2021).…”

Section: Perceived Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Shared Decision-Making Roles and Perceived Stress in Syrian Refugee Parents Resettled in the Greater Toronto Area

Boulos,

Hynie,

Spirling

et al. 2024

Refuge

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This study explored changes in shared decision-making roles (day-to-day, financial, and major life decisions) and their relationships to perceived stress among 148 Syrian refugee parents after resettling in Toronto using a generalized estimated equation model. Parents were categorized as “towards shared” decision-making for 20.3%, 23.0%, and 21.6% of day-to-day, major life, and financial decisions, respectively. In families where both parents were unemployed, those who “always shared” making financial decisions had significantly lower perceived stress than those “towards shared” (p = .02). Understanding the cultural contexts of gender roles and the impact of acculturation may help promote better post-migration strategies.

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Perceived stress among university students: Syrian refugees versus Jordanians

Cited by 7 publications

References 24 publications

Psychological well-being, mental distress, metabolic syndrome, and associated factors among people living in a refugee camp in Greece: a cross-sectional study

Psychological well-being, mental distress, metabolic syndrome, and associated factors among people living in a refugee camp in Greece: a cross-sectional study

Variations in perceived stress among Syrian refugee parents resettled through different sponsorship programs in Canada

Changes in Shared Decision-Making Roles and Perceived Stress in Syrian Refugee Parents Resettled in the Greater Toronto Area

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