The Rise of a Hostile Adolescent Population: The Syrian Refugee Problem

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the psychiatric symptoms of Syrian adolescents living in temporary protection centers who sought asylum in Turkey. Method: Seventy-three Syrian adolescents aged between 16 and 20 years were included in this study. All participants included in the study were given the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), which measures the psychiatric symptoms under the categories of anxiety, depression, negative self-concept, somatization, and hostility. Results: Anxiety, depression, negative self-concept, hostility, and Global Severity Index scores were significantly higher in the refugee group compared to the cut-off points for pathology. The scores for hostility and somatization were highest in the group that had been at the camp for longer than 4 years. Conclusion: The findings of our study suggest that mental health has been compromised among Syrian adolescent refugees in Turkey and the longer the stay the worse is the outcome. With the crisis stretching, the long term psychological problems of these adolescents have been overlooked. Urgent measures should be taken to develop alternative care models for these adolescents.