Higher self-compassion reduces depression and anxiety in Syrian refugees

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

A new study by University of California San Diego researchers 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 UC San Diego School of Medicine, and Wael Al-Delaimy, M.D., Ph.D., professor of public health at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, along with local partners, surveyed 272 displaced Syrians residing in Amman, Jordan about their history of trauma and mental health symptoms. The participants were recruited through community organizations providing aid and educational opportunities to refugees.

In spending time with these communities, I learned about the complex network of stressors they faced, including severe unemployment, limited access to health care, and separation from family."

Sarah Alsamman, student at UC San Diego School of Medicine

The researchers also asked participants about their level of self-compassion. This could include practicing kindness and tenderness toward themselves when going through a difficult time instead of judging themselves harshly, engaging in non-judgmental mindfulness toward painful thoughts, and recognizing that they are not alone, but part of a larger human experience.

The participants also rated their perceived level of resilience in the face of adversity. 

"Resilience reflects their belief in themselves, their community, their family tradition, or social support," said Al-Delaimy.

Key findings of the survey data revealed:

• More than 75 percent of the refugees experienced anxiety, emotional distress or depression.
• Respondents reporting higher levels of self-compassion experienced more than 80% lower symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• While self-compassion and resilience may interact with each other to protect mental health, self-compassion plays a more powerful role in mitigating mental health.

Previous studies have documented the capacity of resilience to limit mental health stressors experienced by refugees, but this is the first time self-compassion has been shown to potentially moderate mental illness in this population.

Al-Delaimy says unlike resilience, self-compassion is a self-taught, modifiable practice that can be increased through training, and thinks health care professionals could use this to promote positive mental health outcomes among refugees who typically have limited access to mental health care.

"This could become an innovative way to empower displaced communities processing an incredibly unjust life experience. Our goal is to shift to a strength-based approach aimed at identifying and cultivating factors that protect from negative mental health outcomes," said Al-Delaimy.

Syrian refugees account for more than one-third of all displaced persons around the globe, with over 14 million forced to flee their homes during more than a decade of ongoing conflict. The researchers plan to extend their study by testing the impact of self-compassion interventions on mental health in a larger group of displaced Syrians living in Southern California.

"That's another aspect that we are trying to address: Is there a difference among those who are outside the country and people who have been resettled here?" Al-Delaimy said.

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

The T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion at UC San Diego provided support for the first author, Sarah Alsamman.