ABSTRACT

Background: Half of refugees worldwide are children who are vulnerable to mental illness due to exposure to violence and displacement during a critical developmental phase. We examined the factors associated with mental distress among Syrian refugee adolescent girls in Lebanon, focusing on individual and family-related determinants. Methods: The study utilized cross sectional data from an early marriage intervention baseline survey with Syrian refugee adolescent girls in Lebanon. We assessed mental health using the Arab Youth Mental Health Scale among N= 429 11-17-year-old girls and analyzed qualitative notes compiled during referral of girls who reported mental distress and/or death thoughts during the week before the survey. Results: A third (31.2%) were mentally distressed and 35.9% reported death thoughts. Mental distress was positively associated with older age (15-17-age-group), being out of school, and reporting a distant relationship with the caregiver (the mother in most cases), and negatively associated with maternal education. Although most death thoughts related to fear of death, wishing to be dead was frequently reported and a few girls engaged in non-suicidal self-harm to cope with stressful experiences in displacement such as family problems, poverty, and school dropout. Conclusion: Syrian refugee adolescent girls in Lebanon carry the heavy burden of mental distress, resulting from exposure to war trauma, parental deprivation, and lack of access to schooling. Mitigation efforts should focus on strengthening family support and addressing structural barriers to refugee girls’ access to education.