The role of religion in coping with financial threat in Muslim Syrian refugees

Background: Many of the 40,000 Syrians resettled between 2015 and 2017 are Muslim. Because research finds that mental health care should be adapted to Muslims’ beliefs and practices, it is important to understand how Muslim Syrian refugees are dealing with settlement stress. Objective: The goal of this research is to gain a greater understanding of how religion is used by Muslim Syrian refugees to cope with a common source of stress, namely financial threat. Method: We conducted Arabic focus groups with 37 Muslim Syrian refugees in Toronto about challenges and coping strategies, including employment and financial insecurity. Results were analyzed using grounded theory. Results: Stresses included language barriers, foreign experience, and psychological suffering. Sources of support included personal faith and support from the Mosque but the role of the Mosque and the meaning of employment differed by gender. The concept of amaanah (giving back of a trust) was also highlighted. These findings deepen our understanding of the importance of religion in the resettlement process and can be used to create culturally sensitive models of therapy for Syrian refugees that include both emotional and problem-solving aspects of coping, and community-based resources for Muslim immigrants in general.