The Syrian regime’s apparatus for systemic torture : A qualitative narrative study of testimonies from survivors

Background
Despite broad interest of the Syrian refugee plight in the academic and media circles, there are still limited studies analyzing the lived experiences of torture survivors under the Syrian regime. This qualitative study interviewed torture survivors to examine the form and function of the Syrian regime’s security apparatus, and the personal aftermath of survivors.

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Ritual (Re)design : Towards a Framework for Professional Ritual Making in Postsecular Contexts

Ritualizing, the creative, imaginative, and intuitive act of ritual making has been acknowledged for some time now in the literature. In this study, this intuitive process is studied in more detail from the perspective of ritual theory. The aim is to theoretically strengthen a framework of ritual making for professionals, such as chaplains and celebrants working with renewed rituals.

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Groupwork with Refugees and Survivors of Human Rights Abuses : The Power of Togetherness

Drawing on multiple theoretical approaches, the book features chapters from practitioners running groups in different settings, such as torture rehabilitation services, refugee camps, and reception centres. The voices of participants demonstrate the variety, creativity, and value of group and community approaches for recovery. The editors have gathered chapters into three sections covering: community-based approaches; groups that work through the medium of "body and soul"; and group approaches that focus on change through the spoken word.

 

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Assessment of mental health of university students faced with different lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic, a repeated cross-sectional study

Background: Studies have highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of university students. However, little is known about the psychological impact of successive lockdowns on this population.

 

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of psychological distress in a student population during the first two lockdowns linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to stratify them by subgroup.

 

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Adversity, emotion, and resilience among Syrian refugees in the Netherlands

Background
Syrian refugees comprise the vast majority of refugees in the Netherlands. Although some research has been carried out on factors promoting refugee resilience, there have been few empirical studies on the resilience of Syrian refugees.

 

Method
We used a qualitative method to understand adversity, emotion, and the factors contributing to resilience in Syrian refugees. We interviewed eighteen adult Syrian refugees residing in the Netherlands and used thematic analysis to identify the themes.

 

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Cognitive Processing Therapy for the Treatment of PTSD, Depression and Anxiety in Syrian Refugees in Egypt

The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety among Syrian refugees who have experienced war trauma. Clinicians interviewed 94 patients and asked them to complete the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale three times: pretreatment, posttreatment and at the 12-month follow-up. In addition, PTSD, depression and anxiety were assessed using the PTSD Checklist, Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory at pretreatment, weekly, posttreatment and 12-month follow-up.

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“Doing What Matters in Times of Stress” to Decrease Psychological Distress During COVID-19 : A Randomised Controlled Pilot Trial

Despite the increasing psychological distress during COVID-19, utilisation of face-to-face psychological interventions decreased profoundly. The aim of this study involving two parallel, two-armed pilot randomised controlled trials was to examine the effectiveness of a guided self-help intervention “Doing What Matters in Times of Stress” (DWM) in decreasing psychological distress in Turkish and Syrian participants. Seventy-four Turkish nationals and 50 Syrian refugee adults with psychological distress were randomly allocated to a DWM group or wait-list control group.

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Highlighting Complementary Benefits of Problem Management Plus (PM+) and Doing What Matters in Times of Stress (DWM) Interventions Delivered Alongside Broader Community MHPSS Programming in Zummar, Ninewa Governorate of Iraq

Internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, returnees and host communities in conflict settings experience high rates of mental health problems associated with prolonged and repeated exposure to multiple exposure to distress, as is the case in Iraq. We sought to highlight the outcomes and complementarity of Problem Management Plus (PM+) and Doing What Matters in Times of Stress (DWM) in addressing the mental health and psychosocial support needs of IDPs, returnees and host community teens and adults in Zummar, Iraq.

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Mental health problems in Moroccan-Dutch people : a mixed-methods study into social determinants, experiences and explanations

We have performed a mixed-methods study into mental health problems in Moroccan-Dutch people. The aim of the study is to increase the insight in how social and cultural determinants are related to:

a) the development of mental health problems,

b) the way mental health problems are experienced and explained and

c) the conversation about mental health problems and help-seeking for them.

 

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The challenges of conducting mental health research among resettled refugee populations : An ecologi cal framework from a researchers’ perspective

Researchers who are aiming to conduct high quality mental health research in resettled refugee populations are likely to experience multiple challenges in their work. To our knowledge, there is no overview of these challenges and their implications for the quality of research from a researchers’ perspective. We conducted a systematic literature search to further complete the overview of challenges. Lastly, we placed the findings of the thematic analysis and the literature search in a conceptual framework derived from the social ecological model of Bronfenbrenner.

 

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