We studied the psychological and socio-cultural adaptation processes of Syrian refugees in Turkey using semi-structured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews among 15 participants. The study explored the themes and issues emerging in the psychological and socio-cultural adaptation processes such as life-satisfaction, contact with the host community and future plans of Syrian adults. Berry’s acculturation model (1997) is used to form the theoretical basis of this research. Our findings revealed that psychological and socio-cultural adaptation of Syrian refugees are strongly influenced by economic concerns, pre-migration expectations, religion and perceptions of Turkish natives’ expectations/ attitudes towards Syrians. From the perspective of the informants, economic concerns and uncertainty regarding duration of stay have a negative impact on refugees’ acculturation, leading to delayed psychological and socio-cultural adaptation. Positive perceptions of Turkish natives’ expectations/ attitudes towards Syrians are perceived to increase motivation to seek social support, which promotes well-being and life satisfaction in Turkey. Yet, negative perceptions such as prejudice and discrimination, may pose a risk for psychological health and low socio-cultural adaptation. One major finding of the paper is the two-fold impact of religion on Syrian refugees: Religion can be considered a binding/ equalizing function subsuming refugee and native groups under a superordinate identity. Nonetheless, it also appears to generate social distance when perceived as a threat to the secular national identity. The findings of this research can be used to minimize factors that undermine favorable acculturation outcomes and promote factors that facilitate high levels of psychological and socio-cultural adaptation.

我们通过对15名参与者进行的半结构化，面对面，深入的访谈研究了土耳其叙利亚难民的心理和社会文化适应过程。该研究探讨了心理和社会文化适应过程中出现的主题和问题，例如生活满意度，与东道国社区的接触以及叙利亚成年人的未来计划。贝里的文化模型（1997年）被用来构成这项研究的理论基础。我们的研究结果表明，叙利亚难民的心理和社会文化适应在很大程度上受到经济问题，移民前期望，宗教信仰和对土耳其人对叙利亚人的期望/态度的认识的影响。从线人的角度来看，经济问题和居留时间的不确定性对难民的适应产生负面影响，导致心理和社会文化适应迟缓。对土耳其人对叙利亚人的期望/态度的积极认识被认为增加了寻求社会支持的动力，从而促进了土耳其的福祉和生活满意度。然而，诸如偏见和歧视之类的消极观念可能会给心理健康和低度的社会文化适应带来风险。该论文的一项主要发现是宗教对叙利亚难民的双重影响：宗教可以被认为是具有约束力/使人平等的功能，将难民和土著群体归于上级身份。但是，当被视为对世俗民族认同的威胁时，它似乎也产生了社会距离。