The Impact of School Access and Quality on the Mental Health of Syrian Refugee Children and Adolescents: Evidence for Vantage Sensitivity
Year: 2026
Type: other
Abstract: This project examines how school experiences influence mental health among Syrian refugee children and adolescents exposed to war and displacement. War exposure is highly traumatic and increases risk for mental health problems (Ben-Zur & Almog, 2013; Goto et al., 2024; McEwen et al., 2023), but children differ in how they respond, partly due to individual factors (e.g., Smeeth et al., 2023) and characteristics of their developmental context (Popham et al., 2024). To empirically test the school context as a potentially modifiable protective factor, we will use longitudinal data derived from the Biological Pathways of Risk and Resilience in Syrian Refugee Children (BIOPATH) study conducted in the Middle East (McEwen et al., 2022). The project aims to address three specific questions: (1) whether attending school reduces the negative impact of war exposure and displacement on Syrian refugee children’s and adolescents’ mental health at both psychopathology and well-being levels; (2) whether the quality of the school environment further buffers against these adverse effects; and (3) whether the benefits of a high-quality school environment are stronger for children and adolescents with higher levels of environmental sensitivity. By addressing these questions, this project aims to clarify how and for whom schooling promotes resilience following war exposure and displacement, provide further evidence for vantage sensitivity theory, and inform school-based interventions and policies for refugee children and adolescents worldwide.
Source: Open Science Framework
Language: English
Topic: Migration, Health and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7212456326