Individual Differences in the Biological Embedding of Developmental Origins of Health and Illness in Syrian Refugee Children

The Syrian Civil War led to the displacement of more than 5.6 million Syrians in surrounding nations, millions of whom are children.

Nations around the world are striving to resolve the economic, cultural, and societal strains of accommodating an unprecedented number of refugees.

The proposed project aims to begin tackling this problem by investigating experiences of Syrian refugee children to determine whether individual characteristics influence their psychological and behavioral responses to the Syrian Civil War and subsequent circumstances.

The research objectives entail applying innovative, evolutionary-developmental models to explore individual differences in the ways early childhood adversity is biologically embedded and reflected in developmental milestones and mental health.

The project applies strong interdisciplinary methods to the analysis of existing, high-quality data to understand the intersections of genetics, endocrinology, psychology, and behavior.

The overarching goals of the project are to 1) understand individual differences in the developmental origins of health and illness, 2) identify modifiable risk and protective factors that suppress or enhance refugee mental health, and 3) inform individualized interventions to prevent and treat mental illness among Syrian—and other—displaced populations.

Bringing to bear leading experts in neuroendocrinology, genetics, psychiatry, and resilience; high-quality, longitudinal data; and state-of-the-art training in genetic and hormonal data analyses, this project will showcase European excellence in innovative, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral research in child development and public health and policy.