Post-Traumatic Stress and Depression (PTSD) and General Anxiety among Iraqi Refugee Children: A Case Study from Jordan

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression and anxiety among (12) Iraqi refugee children, 6 males and 6 females (aged 7-14) who had fled ISIS and are residing in Jordan awaiting resettlement. The authors used four scales to measure depression, field observation, and structured interviews with the mothers to examine exile-related variables and their association with depression: social isolation, lack of meaningful daily activities, lack of pleasurable activities, and emotional and behavioural problems. The results varied among the four scales as follows: Beck's Scale (50%) the highest, were found to be moderately depressed; Burn's (42%) the highest were found to be mildly depressed; DSRS (83.3%) the highest had major depression but not considered severe requiring hospitalization, and PTCI (75%) the highest were found to be mildly depressed. There was strong association between exile-related variables and depression: social isolation (92%), daily activities (100%), meaning to their daily lives (100%), and emotional and behavioural problems (59%).