Calia Clara, El-Gayar Afnan, Zuntz Ann-Christin, Abdullateef Shaher, Almashhor Esraa, Grant Liz, Boden Lisa
School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK.
The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025 Apr 2;22(4):549. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22040549.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted vulnerable populations, such as internally displaced Syrians and Syrian refugees (SSRs) in Middle Eastern host countries, through a syndemic interplay of health, social, and economic challenges. Movement restrictions disrupted their livelihoods resulting in increased food insecurity. A mixed-methods approach was used to address the research question: "What is the relationship between Food Insecurity (FI), Mental Health (MH), and COVID-19 among displaced SSRs working in agriculture"? One hundred SSR participants working in agriculture were recruited from northern Syria and neighbouring countries to participate in a Household Survey. The survey data were analysed using correlation and regression analysis. Additionally, interviews with Household Survey researchers were conducted and thematically analysed. Increasing food insecurity was significantly correlated with worse mental health outcomes among SSR participants ( = -0.24, = 0.018). No moderation effects were found with COVID-19 measures or household responses to the pandemic. However, smaller food portions and storing food were positively correlated with poor mental health and food insecurity. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity and mental health challenges among displaced Syrians and refugees, particularly during Ramadan in 2020, highlighting the compounded effects of overlapping crises and the need for further research into resilience strategies.
新冠疫情通过健康、社会和经济挑战的综合相互作用，对弱势群体产生了不成比例的影响，比如中东收容国境内流离失所的叙利亚人以及叙利亚难民。行动限制扰乱了他们的生计，导致粮食不安全状况加剧。本研究采用混合方法来解决以下研究问题：“从事农业工作的流离失所叙利亚难民中的粮食不安全（FI）、心理健康（MH）与新冠疫情之间存在何种关系？”从叙利亚北部和周边国家招募了100名从事农业工作的叙利亚难民参与家庭调查。调查数据采用相关性和回归分析进行分析。此外，还对家庭调查研究人员进行了访谈并进行了主题分析。在叙利亚难民参与者中，粮食不安全状况加剧与心理健康状况恶化显著相关（r = -0.24，p = 0.018）。未发现新冠疫情防控措施或家庭对疫情的应对措施具有调节作用。然而，食物分量减少和储存食物与心理健康不佳和粮食不安全呈正相关。新冠疫情加剧了流离失所叙利亚人和难民的粮食不安全和心理健康挑战，尤其是在2020年斋月期间，凸显了多重危机的复合影响以及对恢复力策略进行进一步研究的必要性。
