Gredebäck G, Haas S, Hall J, Pollak S, Karakus DC, Lindskog M. Social cognition in refugee children: an experimental cross-sectional study of emotional processing with Syrian families in Turkish communities.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021;
8:210362. [PMID:
34386252 PMCID:
PMC8334827 DOI:
10.1098/rsos.210362]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
More than 5.6 million people have fled Syria since 2011, about half of them children. These children grow up with parents that often suffer from war-related mental health problems. In this study, we assess emotional processing abilities of 6-18 year-old children growing up in families that have fled from Syria and reside in Turkish communities (100 families, 394 individuals). We demonstrate that mothers', but not fathers', post-traumatic stress (PTS) impacts children's emotional processing abilities. A 4% reduction of mothers' PTS was equivalent to 1 year of development in children, even when controlling for parents' traumatic experiences. Making a small investment in increased mental health of refugee mothers might have a positive impact on the lives of their children.
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