Growing Out of Trauma : An Examination of Protective Factors Predicting Posttraumatic Growth among Syrian Refugees in Turkey

As the Syrian crisis has reached its 10th year, this paper explores posttraumatic growth and the related factors among Syrian refugees in Turkey, with the aim of having a better understanding of the predictors of PTG and the risk factors that may play a role in the inhibition of the growth. In this cross-sectional study, 217 displaced Syrian refugees completed the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), Brief COPE, General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and sociodemographic information form by a self-reported online survey. Risk and protective factors were associated in bivariate analysis with growth p < 0.05 and were retained in multiple regression models to control the confounders. Participants’ 60.7% were females, and the mean age was 32.6 ± 9.4 years. Growth was found to be highest in the Personal Strengths, New Possibilities and Appreciation of Life, Relating to Others, and Spiritual Change. While the consistency of job education, economic status, education level, number of children, level of self-efficacy, level of Turkish, active coping style, religious coping, and self-distraction (p < 0.05) were protective factors, the number of traumatic events, and the PTSD symptoms and self-blame were risk factors (p < 0.05) in multiple analysis. However, no significant relationship was found for the variables of marital status, taking support, self-distraction, emotional and instrumental support, positive reframing, planning, cultural perception, working type, and age (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the findings have provided valuable insight into the domains of the growth among Syrian refugees and discussed both clinical and research-based future recommendations that could be made to improve the mental health of the refugees based on the obtained results.

Key implications for practice

• Mental health practitioners should focus on interventions highlighting personal strengths that increase active coping skills and self-efficacy and reduce self-blame
• Policymakers should take actions to prevent the retraumatization of the refugees by considering the psychological impact of the lack of the host country’s language and the inconsistency of the refugees’ work with their education
• Mental health researchers should focus on factors that explain posttraumatic growth and developing intervention tools that promote growth