by bribery, death threats, torture, human trafficking, sexual
humiliation and rape. To magnify the problem, many refu-
gees cannot receive psychological help as a result of their high
numbers of those affected with PTSD, and a lack of translators
(Bundes Psychotherapeuten Kammer, 2015). Children are very
susceptible to PTSD. A study in a Turkish refugee camp found
that almost half (45%) of all children suffered PTSD, ten times
the prevalence among children worldwide (Sirin & Rogers,
Sirin, 2015, p 1). The trauma for Syrian children is so severe
that some doctors created a new term for the children, ‘human
devastation syndrome’, since PTSD is seen as too mild of a con-
dition (Morley, 2017).
Compounding these types of severe mental distress over life
quarters went from a home to maybe a tent with a dirt, or if you as a refugee—no control over one’s life or that of your fami-
are lucky, concrete floor. You sleep on a cot. Parents watch their ly—would obviously bring high levels of anxiety, and lead to
children become depressed and listless. Children and teenagers behaviors that might appear irrational to someone from a safe
and secure environment. With the limited chance for psycho-
watch parents become mentally distant. Your life is no longer
logical assistance, the loss of self-worth can have a huge impact
in your control, but rather depends on the charity and good
will of others. You stand in long lines with others who have also on trauma victims, especially in children and teens who grow
lost hope awaiting basic necessities such as food and water. You up believing they have no value in society, experience survivor’s
wonder how much longer this will last, or how much longer you guilt, or feel anger at all the loss which was not of their own do-
ing. Refugee children often have high levels of behavioral and
can take it. Refugee life can be so demoralizing that some feel
unable to perform the essential duties of daily life. Research by emotional problems, including aggression and other affective
disorders (Sirin et al, 2015, p 11). Thus, seemingly irrational
Noor Baker on Syrian refugee life explained that the refugees
behavior is actually quite normal. This is important to consider
became “so hopeless that they did not want to continue living,
while others reported feeling loss of interest in things they used for the subject at hand, because individuals who would normal-
ly never get involved in illicit criminal activities, are now at high
to like, and feeling so angry that they felt out of control. The
risk of falling into that lifestyle. The US Veterans Administra-
symptoms of emotional distress are suggestive of the severity
tion finds that “individuals with PTSD have an elevated preva-
of daily dysfunction experienced by refugees” (Baker, 2015).
Under these conditions, it would not be unreasonable to assume lence of risk factors that are associated with increased violence,
that people would do anything to relieve the misery; they might such as substance misuse and comorbid psychiatric disorders”
(Norman , Elbogen, Schnurr 2017). It is also worth noting
turn to using and/or selling drugs.
that children who grow up in violent and abusive situations
often develop Anti-social Personality Disorder (APD), that is,
The Second Factor
“a mental condition in which a person consistently shows no
regard for right and wrong, and ignores the rights and feelings
If daily life as a refugee is not difficult enough, a second factor
of others….They show no guilt or remorse for their behavior.”
to consider is the traumatic experience of war and flight from
Syria, which creates mental distress. Post-Traumatic Stress Dis- Furthermore, “individuals with anti-social personality disorder
often violate the law, becoming criminals. They may lie, behave
order (PTSD) and severe depression affect many war refugees.
violently or impulsively, and use drugs and alcohol” (May Clin-
PTSD is easily understood. It was hard enough on the casual
observer to see a picture of 3-year old Alan Kurdi lying dead on ic, 2017). It should be no surprise that the Mara Salvatrucha
gang (MS-13) evolved from child refugees in Los Angeles who
a Turkish beach, or a shell-shocked Omran Daqneesh covered
escaped the extremely violent wars in El Salvador, Guatemala,
in dust and blood in an ambulance after his home was struck
and Nicaragua, only to form gangs initially to protect them-
by an explosive that killed his brother, both photos covered by
major news sources for the world to see. Yet, while these are but selves from pre-established gangs in their neighborhoods. This
tiny snapshots for people who live thousands of miles away, they is not to say all children in such environments will develop
APD, as other factors may often be involved, but it’s another
are daily occurrences for people living in war zones. War refu-
dynamic in the cause of mental illness and social disorders that
gees commonly experience the death of loved ones, to include
can lead to problems later for refugees.
seeing that death come via violent means. They are victimized
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