Since 2011, the Syrian diaspora has grown at a rapid and unprecedented rate. Approximately 6.7 million Syrians have been displaced externally due to ongoing internal conflict, forcing adaptation and unfamiliarity into the daily lives of millions. Dialogue surrounding the severity of the Syrian struggle since 2011 has focused primarily on the short-term survival aspects of displacement and warfare, aiming to address the well-being of the Syrian population through a need-based lens of physicality. After thirteen years, this short-term focus has left drilling questions concerning the long-term consequences of the Syrian experience, specifically the accumulation of trauma. Negligence in addressing the mental toll of war and displacement continues to threaten the quality of life and rehabilitation of millions of Syrians within the growing diaspora, risking friction in families, communities, and host countries.
The American Psychological Association defines trauma as an “emotional response to a terrible event.” The emotional responses that follow traumatic experiences vary largely in severity and form, often appearing as emotional states like anger, depression, and anxiety. While these responses are experienced in reaction to an event, they are often not felt in a single instance but rather in chronic or even consistent waves, which can manifest in the form of long-term mental disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The manifestation of these emotional responses can entirely alter the trajectory of an individual’s life. Enduring consistent or even chronic outbursts of these varied individualized emotions can create instability to large degrees and instill perspective shifts that spur distrust in oneself or extreme paranoia, making it incredibly difficult to move forward in relationships or daily responsibilities.
The horrific experiences of armed conflict and forced displacement lived by the Syrian population are obvious examples of traumatizing events. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) describes some of the many unimaginable accounts of physical pain and emotional hardship endured by the Syrian people. The story of Amal and her mother Samar encapsulates this hardship. The UNHCR recounts how Amal lost her leg in an explosion that went off in her bedroom and how she was forced out of her home with her family in search of safety. Samar describes the struggles of displacement as a repeated process, stating that every time her family was forced to move, Amal’s wound would reopen and bleed, leaving them in a constant cycle of physical and emotional pain. Such an image provides a physical analogy of the continued suffering and long-lasting wounds of the Syrian people.
Similar to Amal and Samar, 60-year-old mother Yaze has felt the heavy impacts of exposure to armed conflict and displacement. Forced to live in a foreign country due to safety concerns, Yaze stays afloat by fervently holding on to her dreams. The most important of these dreams is the chance to see her son alive and well. In the midst of the conflict and displacement, Yaze lost contact with her son, losing her only family. She has continued living alone in Jordan with the prayers that her dream of meeting her son again will come true.
Exposure to these terrible processes of armed conflict and displacement has left many Syrians like Amal, Samar, and Yaze in constant stages of mental distress and, thus, an increased possibility of manifestations of trauma through social frictions. One of the biggest indications of traumatic build-up has been the increased presence of domestic violence within families of displaced Syrians. Shortly after initial waves of displacement, refugee camps noted a rise in domestic violence within Syrian families, with increased male aggression credited to mental turmoil — a consequence of the accumulation of trauma. Beyond the specifics of domestic violence, a manifestation of trauma is exemplified through the escalation of general aggression among Syrian youth, with 33% of displaced youth in a refugee camp in Jordan showing notably and “unusually” aggressive behaviour. This behaviour continues to risk a future of tension and conflict with the potential introductions of organized crime and even substance abuse, jeopardizing family and community relations, as well as influencing the perception of Syrians within their host countries.
Such escalation and manifestation of mental turmoil is rooted in the lack of long-term rehabilitation and a slow reactive, rather than a proper proactive, response to visible mental struggle. An observation of systems within host countries and humanitarian organizations shows a high emphasis on addressing immediate and quantifiable needs like food, water, and shelter while considering psychological needs as secondary or optional. This treatment is largely due to the individuality of addressing mental struggles and the lack of quantitative measures for mental struggle. The individuality and absence of apparent visual symptoms of mental turmoil often leads to a higher prioritization and investment in physical needs, placing the responsibility for mental recovery in the hands of the displaced Syrians themselves. This system often leaves trauma unaddressed among the millions of displaced Syrians who face the short-term goal of physical resettlement while the long-term questions of quality of life and continual communal development are disregarded.
Neglect of trauma among displaced Syrians will not only seriously affect the generations experiencing warfare and displacement but will also continue to destabilize generations to come. Studies focused on the effects of trauma on refugee families have clearly confirmed a strong intergenerational aspect to the accumulation of trauma. One study focusing particularly on the children of traumatized refugee parents who were displaced from the Middle East exposed heightened signs of depression, anxiety and psychosocial stress in the children. If not addressed, the trauma accumulated through horrific experiences with war and displacement will become an inherited struggle, rippling the traumatic manifestations across generations and continuing to increase turmoil on an individual, local, and global scales.
The approach to rehabilitation and refugee care must evolve. A continued focus on the quantifiable, immediate, and physical aspects of care will not accommodate the severity of mental health implications. Comprehensive systems of care must now be a priority to combat the risk of intergenerational consequences and further familial or even global tensions. The Syrian people, with their prolonged exposure to armed conflict and displacement, exemplify the urgent need for a focus on trauma care. However, this need extends beyond their situation; it is a human necessity. With conflict and displacement occurring continuously around the world, emphasizing the impact of mental trauma is an imperative mission that must be acknowledged.
Edited by Shihun Lee
Yasmine Tujjar is a third-year student at McGill University, pursuing a B.A. in History with minors in Arabic language and Political Science. Her journalistic interests are rooted in her passion for post-conflict research and cross-cultural, interfaith reconciliation.