"Syrian Refugee Children and Families" Research Discussed at the Washington Institute

The findings of the "Syrian Refugee Children and Families" research, conducted in cooperation between the Department of Psychology at Bahçeşehir University (BAU) and New York University, were discussed on 14 Decemberat a roundtable meeting held at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The meeting was held with the participation of UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and David Pollock of the Washington Institute.

The research, whose results were presented by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selçuk Şirin from the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University, addresses the lost generation created by the trauma faced by Syrian refugee children. In addition to documenting the problems faced by children forced to migrate to Türkiye due to the problems in Syria, the research also measures their psychological reactions to their situation. According to the results of the research, in which more than 300 school-age children living in refugee camps near the Syrian border in Türkiye took part, nearly 50 percent of refugee children are in clinical depression and 35 percent are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.

At the meeting moderated by David Pollock of the Washington Institute, Pollock underlined that experts on Syria generally focus on policies and international relations, but that this kind of study should be carried out more often.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said,"I congratulate you on carrying out this study, and I extend my congratulations to all the researchers who contributed to it, to your university and to Enver Yücel."At the end of the program, Bokova stated that UNESCO would turn the drawings made by refugee children into an exhibition at its Paris Headquarters, and that they would also turn the research into a longer-term study. She also announced that, in the coming period, a series of applied tests and their analysis could be carried out together with UNESCO to improve the psychosocial well-being of children attending schools in refugee camps.