767 - Association of Perceived Sense of Safety in The Community with Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Levels Among Syrian Refugees In Lebanon

Publication Number: 767.3913

Hala Tamim, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada; Khalid Yunis, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon; Nadine Chehabeddine, AUBMC, Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon; Zeina Halawi, aubmc, Beirut, Mont-Liban, Lebanon

Background: In March 2024 the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, declared that Syria still has the worst refugee crisis. In addition, Lebanon remains the country with the highest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometer in the world. The mental health of refugees is often worse than that of the non-displaced population. Risk factors for mental health can be found in society at different levels, including displacement and community safety. Community safety is a concept concerned with achieving a positive state of well-being, not just reducing and preventing injury and crime

Objective: This study aims to investigate whether the sense of safety in the community is associated with the mental health of Syrian refugees in Lebanon during the crisis

Design/Methods: This was a cross-sectional study for which a total of 290 Syrian refugee parents living in Lebanon with at least one child under the age of 18 at the time of the interview were recruited between July and December 2021. The main outcomes of the study were depression, anxiety, and stress, which were assessed using the DASS-21 scale. The main independent variable feeling safe in the community was based on the question “Do you feel safe in your community?” with dichotomous responses of “yes/no”. Three multiple linear regression analyses were performed taking the three outcome variables of stress, anxiety, and depression scales as dependent variables with the main independent variable and other sociodemographic, social, and physical health factors

Results: The results showed that 19.9%, 12.9%, and 24.6% of participants reported severe or extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress respectively. Moreover, 21.1% of participants reported feeling unsafe in the community. After adjusting for confounding variables including socio-demographic, social, and physical health factors, the multiple linear regression showed that those who did not feel safe in the community were significantly more likely to report depression (B=-5.074; p-value 0.002), anxiety (B=-3.459; p-value 0.014), and stress (B=-5.896; p-value < 0.001, respectively) compared to their counterparts

Conclusion(s): Our model highlights an important causal factor for mental health disorders among Syrian refugees and emphasizes the need to develop community-based interventions that combine individual and environmental change strategies to promote the well-being of refugees in a given community. Furthermore, it provides insights into the implementation of health measures to improve the physical and ultimately mental health of refugees