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The Relationship Between Spirituality and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Syrian Adolescents in Jordan

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Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The civil war in Syria began in 2011 and escalated over years resulting in one of the largest humanitarian crises since the Second World War. Injury, loss, poverty, and immigration trapped the Syrian population in a diversity of psychological disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Spirituality has, on the other hand, been consistently reported as a resilient factor against developing mental disorders. Hence, spirituality or religiosity have been incorporated in clinical and psychotherapeutic practice for several mental disorders. We explored the association between spirituality and the development of PTSD symptoms among Syrian refugee adolescents in Jordanian schools. A sample of 418 Syrian adolescent students (age range between 12–16 years) from Jordanian schools in the northern part of the country were enrolled in the study after informing on study context and objectives. The study questionnaire included sample demographics, smoking status, PTSD checklist – Civilian Version (PCL-C), two spirituality-targeting questions, and trauma and loss history. `Almost half of participants (N = 196) showed moderate PTSD symptoms while around 30% (N = 124) had a severe level of PTSD symptoms. On the other hand, 3 out of four students perceived themselves as highly spiritual. The study resulted in a positive correlation between belief in God and God’s thankfulness. Furthermore, increased spirituality level did not appear to lower the risk of developing PTSD symptoms. Spiritual self-perception of Syrian refugee adolescents showed neither protective nor aggravating effect of on the occurrence of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Additional research and more accurate tools are needed to assess the potential impact of spiritual/religious values towards PTSD symptoms among adolescents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Amman, Jordan

    Mohannad Ramadan

  2. Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan

    Khalid Kheirallah

  3. Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan

    Tareq Saleh

  4. Medical Epidemiologist, Independent Consultant, Geneva, Switzerland

    Saverio Bellizzi

  5. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Irbid, Jordan

    Enas Shorman

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  1. Mohannad Ramadan
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  2. Khalid Kheirallah
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  3. Tareq Saleh
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  4. Saverio Bellizzi
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  5. Enas Shorman
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Correspondence to Khalid Kheirallah.

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Ramadan, M., Kheirallah, K., Saleh, T. et al. The Relationship Between Spirituality and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Syrian Adolescents in Jordan. Journ Child Adol Trauma 15, 585–593 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-021-00401-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-021-00401-w

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