ESPIRE: The measurement and predictors of Environmental Sensitivity in Syrian refugee children

ESPIRE：叙利亚难民儿童环境敏感性的测量和预测

• 批准号: EP/X028690/2
• 负责人: Michael Pluess
• 金额: $ 16.17万
• 依托单位: University of Surrey
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FX028690%2F2
• 关键词: ESPIRE; measurement; predictors; Environmental; Sensitivity

The Syrian civil war has exacted a heavy toll on the mental health of affected individuals, especially refugee children. Estimates suggest that 45% of refugee children present with post-traumatic stress disorder, and 44% exhibit symptoms of depression. However, not all children exposed to the traumatic experiences of war and forced displacement develop mental illness. The Environmental Sensitivity (ES) metaframework proposes that children differ in their level of sensitivity, rendering them more or less susceptible to their environmental experiences. Low sensitivity children are robust against contextual adversity, but also benefit less from psychosocial support. Meanwhile, high sensitivity children are vulnerable to mental illness following experiences of adversity, but benefit disproportionately from protective factors in their environment. Individual differences in ES are the product of genetic, physiological and environmental factors, but these factors have yet to be explored in refugee populations of a Middle Eastern genetic background. In collaboration with colleagues in Lebanon, Italy, and Germany, the Experienced Researcher, Dr Andrew May, aims to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal predictors of sensitivity in Syrian refugee children using pre-existing psychological, physiological and genetic data. In a sample of approximately 1500 Syrian refugee children from Lebanon, the ER will psychometrically analyse responses from the Highly Sensitive Child Scale. These responses will be correlated with hormone levels associated with stress sensitivity, as well as genome-wide genotyping data. Polygenic scores will be assessed as a tool for accurately inferring sensitivity in Middle Eastern refugee children. The ER will then explore how these sensitivity levels moderate children's mental health and well- being outcomes to both traumatic and beneficial experiences. Study results are anticipated to inform future care practices for refugee children.

叙利亚内战对受影响者，尤其是难民儿童的心理健康造成了严重损害。据估计，45%的难民儿童患有创伤后应激障碍，44%的难民儿童表现出抑郁症状。然而，并非所有遭受战争和被迫流离失所创伤的儿童都会患上精神疾病。环境敏感性（ES）元框架提出，儿童在他们的敏感性水平不同，使他们或多或少容易受到他们的环境经验。低敏感性儿童对环境逆境的抵抗力很强，但从心理社会支持中获益较少。与此同时，高敏感性儿童在经历逆境后容易患上精神疾病，但他们从环境中的保护因素中获益不成比例。ES的个体差异是遗传，生理和环境因素的产物，但这些因素尚未在中东遗传背景的难民群体中进行探讨。与黎巴嫩，意大利和德国的同事合作，经验丰富的研究员Andrew May博士旨在使用预先存在的心理，生理和遗传数据调查叙利亚难民儿童敏感性的横截面和纵向预测因素。在来自黎巴嫩的大约1500名叙利亚难民儿童的样本中，ER将对高度敏感儿童量表的反应进行心理测量分析。这些反应将与压力敏感性相关的激素水平以及全基因组基因分型数据相关。多基因分数将作为准确推断中东难民儿童敏感性的工具进行评估。然后，急诊室将探讨这些敏感性水平如何调节儿童的心理健康和幸福结果，以创伤和有益的经验。预计研究结果将为今后难民儿童的照料做法提供信息。