Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights.
Freie Universität Berlin.
Transcult Psychiatry. 2021 Apr;58(2):226-238. doi: 10.1177/1363461520937931. Epub 2020 Jul 6.
Research on the psychological impact of war on affected populations is important for the planning and provision of interventions. However, most studies that address the effects of political violence have been restricted to Western countries, and even after six years of civil war in Syria, there has been no study addressing its psychological impact on the general population. The present study used an online survey to examine the level of psychological symptoms and correlates of distress in a sample of 387 subjects from different areas of Syria. We used -tests to compare symptoms across zones with different levels of war activity, and multiple regression models to identify predictors of distress. Results indicate a high level of psychological distress indicative of psychopathology in all regions across the country. Rates were higher in areas with more intensive exposure ('hot' zones). Greater symptom severity was associated with living in a hot zone, female gender, older age, the number of potentially traumatic events, daily stressors, and (low) perceived feeling of safety; whereas social support, religiosity, and religious coping were associated with lower levels of symptoms. The elevated levels of mental health problems and direct relation between the level of exposure to violence and poorer mental health point to the need for mental health services. Reducing daily stressors and ensuring safety could contribute significantly to better mental health, although this does not replace the need for evidence-based psychotherapy. The planning and delivery of psychological interventions by NGOs should be informed by issues related to stigma, lack of understanding and acceptance of psychological care.
战争对受灾人群心理影响的研究对于干预措施的规划和提供非常重要。然而，大多数关注政治暴力影响的研究都局限于西方国家，即使在叙利亚内战六年之后，也没有研究涉及它对普通民众的心理影响。本研究使用在线调查，在来自叙利亚不同地区的 387 名受试者中，调查了心理症状的水平及其与痛苦的相关性。我们使用 t 检验比较了不同战争活动水平地区的症状，并使用多元回归模型确定了痛苦的预测因素。结果表明，该国所有地区的心理困扰程度都很高，表明存在精神病理学。在暴露程度较高的地区（“热点”地区），发生率更高。症状严重程度与生活在热点地区、女性、年龄较大、潜在创伤性事件数量、日常压力源以及（低）感知安全感有关；而社会支持、宗教信仰和宗教应对方式与症状水平较低有关。心理健康问题的高发率以及与暴力暴露程度之间的直接关系表明需要提供心理健康服务。减少日常压力源并确保安全可以显著改善心理健康，但这并不能替代基于证据的心理治疗。非政府组织规划和提供心理干预措施时，应考虑到与耻辱感、对心理保健的理解和接受程度相关的问题。
