Remember: A Literary and Biblical Analysis of PTSD in Syrian Refugee Children

Presenters

Jordan L. Parsons, Cedarville UniversityFollow
Lindsay E. Nicklas, Cedarville UniversityFollow
Stephanie A. Courtsouridis, Cedarville UniversityFollow
Elisa J. Owens, Cedarville UniversityFollow
Janae J. Brown, Cedarville UniversityFollow

Type of Submission

Podium Presentation

Keywords

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), refugee

Proposal

Over the last decade, conflict in Syria has led to a drastic increase in refugees around the world. This literature review will examine the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in resettled Syrian refugee children. With the past and present tension in Syria, excessive amounts of men, women, and children are fleeing at an alarming rate, leaving emotional scars on the youth involved. While there are many mental health concerns within this population, including depression and anxiety, this study will mainly focus on the ill effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adolescents under the age of 18.

A recent study showed that 46.5% of refugees live with a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and an increased risk of comorbidity with depression and anxiety. With over half of the world’s refugee population under the age of 18, research on juvenile refugees and mental health such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has just recently begun emerging. This study will review the effects of war on the mental health of adolescents from Syria and will include an analysis of the Church and its role in the current crisis.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.