Proposed title : previous war-trauma exposure and its impact on Syrian refugees after the Beirut port explosion : examining resiliency and coping strategies after PTSD

Abstract

Post traumatic stress disorder is the most common condition seen in Syrian refugees after the 2011 war. Several studies have studies the factors behind the consequences of war trauma. Resiliency and coping strategies were found to be connected to a person’s reaction to a stressful life event. This study explores the association between resiliency skills and war trauma by adding refugees mental state after being exposed to the Beirut explosion. The research measures these factors using five tools, GAD-7, PHQ-9, THS, BRCS, and PCL to assess for anxiety, depression, trauma, resiliency, and PTSD respectively. The sample consists of 100 Syrian refugee, 56 females and 44 males, aged between 18 and 50 years old. The results show that individuals who experienced a war-trauma are seen to have more severe PTSD symptoms after being exposed to the explosion. Syrian refugees who weren’t through a trauma before, and had exposed the explosion were noticed to handle it better and cope with the stressful situation in a better way. Furthermore, participants who were victims of war showed significant levels of depression and anxiety.