Self-compassion linked to better mental health among Syrian refugees

Displaced people experience high rates of emotional distress, depression and anxiety due to trauma and stress from displacement and loss. Their mental health can suffer further due to lack of resources, language barriers and discrimination during resettlement.

A new study by researchers at the University of California San Diego reports that displaced Syrian refugees with higher reported self-compassion were less likely to report poor mental health outcomes. The study was published in PLOS ONE on September 19, 2024.

Sarah Alsamman, a student at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, and Wael Al-Delaimy, MD, PhD, a professor of public health at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, worked with local partners to survey 272 displaced Syrians living in Amman, Jordan, about their histories of trauma and mental health symptoms. Participants were recruited through community organizations that provide aid and educational opportunities to refugees.

“Spending time with these communities taught me about the complex network of stressors they faced, including severe unemployment, limited access to health care and separation from their families,” Alsamman said.

The researchers also asked participants about their level of self-compassion. This may include being kind and gentle with themselves when they’re going through a difficult time instead of judging themselves harshly, engaging in nonjudgmental mindfulness toward painful thoughts, and recognizing that they’re not alone but part of a larger human experience.

Participants also rated their level of resilience in the face of adversity.

“Resilience reflects belief in themselves, their community, their family tradition or the social support they receive,” Al-Delaimy said.

The key findings from the survey data were:

• More than 75% of refugees experience anxiety, emotional stress or depression.
• Respondents who reported having more self-compassion experienced over 80% fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• While self-compassion and resilience can interact to protect mental health, self-compassion plays a more powerful role in alleviating mental health.

Previous studies have shown that resilience can reduce mental health stressors in refugees, but this is the first time that self-compassion has been shown to alleviate mental health conditions in this population.

According to Al-Delaimy, unlike resilience, self-compassion is a self-learned, adaptable practice that can be strengthened through training. He believes that health care professionals can use this to promote positive mental health outcomes among refugees who typically have limited access to mental health care.

“This could be an innovative way to empower displaced communities who are coping with incredibly unjust life experiences. Our goal is to move to a strengths-based approach that focuses on identifying and cultivating factors that protect against negative mental health outcomes,” Al-Delaimy said.

Syrian refugees make up more than a third of the world’s displaced population, with more than 14 million people forced to flee their homes during more than a decade of ongoing conflict. The researchers plan to expand their study by testing the impact of self-compassion interventions on mental health in a larger sample of displaced Syrians living in Southern California.

“That is another aspect we are trying to address: is there a difference between people who are outside the country and people who have been resettled here?” Al-Delaimy said.

Rana Dajani of Hashemite University in Jordan and the MIT Refugee Action Hub (ReACT) co-authored the study.