Open AccessSocial cognition in refugee children: an experimental cross-sectional study of emotional processing with Syrian families in Turkish communities
Author(s) -
Gustaf Gredebäck,
Sara Haas,
Jonathan Hall,
Seth D. Pollak,
Dogukan Cansin Karakus,
Marcus Lindskog
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
royal society open science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 51
ISSN - 2054-5703
DOI - 10.1098/rsos.210362
Subject(s) - turkish , refugee , mental health , cognition , psychology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , geography , philosophy , linguistics , archaeology
More than 5.6 million people have fled Syria since 2011, about half of them children. These children grow up with parents that often suffer from war-related mental health problems. In this study, we assess emotional processing abilities of 6–18 year-old children growing up in families that have fled from Syria and reside in Turkish communities (100 families, 394 individuals). We demonstrate that mothers', but not fathers’, post-traumatic stress (PTS) impacts children's emotional processing abilities. A 4% reduction of mothers' PTS was equivalent to 1 year of development in children, even when controlling for parents’ traumatic experiences. Making a small investment in increased mental health of refugee mothers might have a positive impact on the lives of their children.