Mental Health and Psychosocial Concerns and Provision of Services for Adolescent Syrian Refugees in Jordan

Abstract

After years of the Syrian crisis, it continues to have an enormous social and economic impact on the countries hosting Syrian refugees. This chapter reviews the mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) problems and the provision of services for Syrian children and adolescent refugees in Jordan. The relevant literature and reports were reviewed. Conflict-related violence coupled with the ongoing stressors related to displacement had a significant and ongoing impact on the mental health and psychosocial well-being of Syrian refugees. Syrian children and adolescents in Jordan suffered and continue to suffer from various mental health and psychosocial problems including depression, anxiety, post traumatic disorders, racial discrimination, and behavioral and emotional problems. More than half of the children suffer from nightmares, various forms of sleep disorders, or bedwetting as a result of the distress they have been exposed to since the onset of the crisis. What is more troublesome is the limitations in child mental health services. MHPSS services provided by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are provided by mostly nonspecialized staff (75%) and specialized national staff (20%). However, such specialized services still only represent one tenth of services, with the remaining services focused on nonspecialist service provision, strengthening family and social supports, and the integration of MHPSS considerations into other sectors providing humanitarian aid. In conclusion, many psychosocial problems are still affecting Syrian refugee children and adolescents in Jordan despite the fact that many of them started living in Jordan many years ago, and as a result of these outputs, more psychosocial and financial support is still necessary to help them.