Mental health literacy of internally displaced Syrian young people and their parents in Syria: paving the way for mental health education and promotion in vulnerable communities.

Abstract

4. Objectives 4.1 Primary objective To determine levels of MHL relating to trauma related mental health disorders, namely posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among the displaced Syrian young people in northern Syria (see study population) . 4.2 Specific objectives 1. To estimate MHL relating to PTSD (and Depression) in a group of displaced Syrian young people (13-17 years old) and the parents of children (age 8-12 years old) pertaining to: a. Problem recognition (including “self-recognition”) b. Beliefs about the severity of the problem described and its prevalence in the target population c. Beliefs about causes and risk factors d. Beliefs about how best to support someone with PTSD/depression e. Beliefs about the helpfulness of specific treatments and treatment providers f. Beliefs about likely outcome with and without treatment g. Beliefs about possible barriers to treatment h. Stigma and perceived discrimination towards someone with PTSD/depression i. 2. To determine associations between specific aspects of MHL as outlined above, and individuals’ demographic characteristics (age, gender, religion, ethnicity, lengthen of displacement etc.) and symptom levels. 3. To estimate the prevalence of mental health distress (major depression, anxiety disorders or suicidality ) using the Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) in care takers of children 8-12 years old; 4. To estimate the prevalence of constructs of intrusion, avoidance and arousal in children 8-17 years of age in the study population; 5. To estimate the prevalence of self-reported depression in children 8-17 years old. The categories specified in objective 1 above were chosen because they were considered to be the aspects of MHL most likely to be of interest in informing the determinants of mental health and quality of life in the proposed population. Objective 2 which seeks to examine the associations between specific aspects of MHL and individuals’ demographic characteristics and symptoms levels is important because associations of this kind can indicate specific targets for health promotion programs.