Changes in Stress and other Mental Health Outcomes among Syrian Refugee Women from Before to During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Syrian refugee women in Canada face disproportionately high mental health challenges due to trauma, gender-based violence, social isolation, and systemic barriers to healthcare. These challenges are intensified by social determinants of health such as unemployment, limited social support, and cultural and language barriers. Research shows that refugee women are significantly more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and stress compared to Canadian-born individuals and other newcomer groups. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced new stressors and exacerbated existing ones, including increased isolation, economic instability, and reduced access to healthcare and social services. While some studies have explored refugee mental health broadly, there is limited data on how stress and related mental health outcomes changed specifically for Syrian refugee women during the pandemic. This study aims to fill that gap by analyzing longitudinal data from Syrian refugee women across Canada, comparing mental health outcomes before (Year 2) and during (Year 4) the COVID-19 pandemic. Using validated tools—the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the RAND36 emotional well-being subscale—we will assess changes in stress, depression, and emotional health. We will also examine how social determinants such as financial hardship, social support, and healthcare access are associated with these changes. Our hypothesis is that mental health outcomes, particularly stress, worsened during the pandemic, and that these changes are influenced by key social and structural factors. By identifying risk and protective factors, this research aims to inform future interventions and support systems tailored to the needs of refugee women in Canada. Research Question: How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect the mental health of Syrian refugee women in Canada, and what factors were associated with these changes? Objectives Primary: 1. To examine changes in stress in Syrian refugee women before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary: Within the sample population and time frame: 1. A) To assess changes in depression before and during the COVID-19 pandemic B) To assess changes in mental well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic 2. To identify factors associated with changes in stress Exploratory: 1. To explore factors associated with changes in depression and overall mental health 2. To explore whether changes in stress, were different for women with and without specific social determinants of health, including access to essential resources, access to healthcare, and marital status
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.001 | 0.002 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.001 | 0.002 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.002 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.002 | 0.001 |
| Open science | 0.001 | 0.002 |
| Research integrity | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".