Mental health and psychosocial support to displaced people : the case of displaced syrians in Lebanon

Abstract

There has been a huge influx of displaced Syrians which is considered to be the biggest since WWII and this is due to the ongoing conflict in Syria since 2011. The majority of the displaced population is located in low-income countries with limited resources in mental health care. This qualitative research tackles the mental health and psychosocial support provided to displaced Syrians by different international organizations and NGOs operating in this field in Lebanon. The aim of this research is to study the correlation between these programs and the ability to cope with the new lifestyle the displaced Syrians are living. This study is based on statistical indicators with a data collected through field work and questionnaires. Two tests were conducted on two samples of displaced Syrians focusing on the Bekaa Governorate (Majd El Anjar, Barr Elias, Kabb Elias and Al-Marj): the SRQ-20 and the Brief Cope Tests. The first one serves as an instrument designed to screen for psychiatric disturbance and the second test assesses a broad range of coping responses including the adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms. The results show that the more the displaced Syrians follow a mental health and psychosocial support offered by any international organization or NGO in Lebanon, the more they would be able to adapt to their new lifestyle and the less likely they would be violent in relation to their surroundings. International organizations and NGOs have a big role to maintain the current programs and expand them all over Lebanon, and to develop new ones to be able to respond to the high needs of displaced Syrians with regards to mental health.