Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

John Agnew

Abstract

Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, more than 6 million Syrians have registered as refugees. Many displaced Syrians suffer myriad mental health disorders, including anxiety, which become a burden as they attempt to acculturate into a foreign culture. Research to understand the Syrian refugees has been conducted since the conflict began; however, the findings are inconsistent. Existing academic research does not adequately capture the depth of anxiety of Syrian emigrants, nor does it present an accurate picture of the challenges of acculturation. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the differences in anxiety and acculturation based on gender and education in 54 adult Syrian emigrants living in the United States. The theoretical foundation used to drive this quantitative research study was the terror management theory, which posits individuals will implement existential buffers to mitigate anxiety brought on by the fear of death. This study implemented a correlational research design to examine the relationship between anxiety and acculturation, based on gender and education. The results of this study revealed no statistically significant findings, possibly due to language barriers or low subject recruitment. This study can influence positive social change as a baseline to understand mental health in the emigrant population and to help identify fundamental flaws in the mental health screening of emigrants. Addressing these will improve educational opportunities, employment, and quality of life for these individuals.

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