Problem-solving skills groups for female Syrian refugees in Lebanon: a study of a mental health intervention

Abstract

Abstract Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Lebanon has witnessed an influx of over one million refugees. This has placed a serious strain on Lebanon’s mental healthcare system, creating the need for an efficient intervention for refugees. Health workers were recruited from various centres and trained to deliver a module of 12 sessions in problem-solving skills in group format. Then, they recruited female Syrian refugees and Lebanese women to form groups and deliver the intervention in the host communities. Results showed that levels of anxiety and depression, as reported by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist screening tool, seemed to decrease significantly after the intervention. An additional outcome was that most of the participants felt supported by other women. These results demonstrated that a direct and short intervention with female refugees can lead to measurable improvements in their mental1 health and was perceived by participants as highly beneficial.