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

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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.