Associations among resilience, hope, social support, feeling belongingness, satisfaction with life, and flourishing among Syrian minority refugees

J Ethn Subst Abuse. 2024;23(1):166-181. doi: 10.1080/15332640.2022.2078918. Epub 2022 May 30.

Abstract

To date, research on refugee mental health has mainly focused on understanding the absence of psychopathology rather than on their well-being and associated positive aspects. The aim of this study was to examine the role of resilience, hope, belongingness, and social support in predicting satisfaction with life and flourishing among 361 minority Syrian refugees living in Iraq (age range = 18-60 years, mean = 32.57, SD = 10.05). Participants completed the Brief Resilience Scale, Adult Hope Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Scale, General Belongingness Scale, Satisfaction With Life Scale, and Flourishing Scale. Males reported significantly higher levels of resilience, belongingness, and flourishing compared to females. Demographic variables (age, gender, and economic level), resilience, hope, belongingness, and social support were correlated with life satisfaction and flourishing scores. While controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, resilience and hope were associated with life satisfaction and flourishing scores. However, belongingness and social support were only associated with flourishing scores. The findings suggest that equipping refugees with positive psychological resources could promote increased levels of life satisfaction and flourishing and thus enhance preventive psychosocial programs.

Keywords: Syrian refugees; Well-being; belongingness; hope; resilience; social support.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Personal Satisfaction
  • Psychological Tests*
  • Refugees*
  • Resilience, Psychological*
  • Social Support
  • Syria
  • Young Adult

Supplementary concepts

  • The Brief Resilience Scale