Effects of pre- and post-displacement difficulties on parenting behaviors of refugee fathers

Adverse effects of war trauma and post-displacement difficulties on refugee families are well-documented in the previous literature, however, there is considerably less research with refugee fathers focusing on different types of stressors. The current study tested a multiple linkage model between war trauma, different post-displacement difficulties, paternal mental health and parenting behaviors. Data was collected from 286 Syrian refugee fathers who have fled from Syria and resettled in Turkey with their children between 2 to 5 years. Using path analysis we examined the associations between pre-displacement war trauma, post-displacement difficulties and perceived discrimination, and fathers’ depression, anxiety, and PTSD levels in addition to the punishment and warmth toward their children. Consistent with prior research, results showed that war trauma exposure negatively predicted different post-displacement stressors. In turn, displacement stressors negatively predicted paternal mental health indicators such as depression, anxiety and PTSD. Indirect effects showed that war-trauma has a negative impact on parenting of Syrian refugee fathers through different paths. Results suggested that both post-displacement stressor and discrimination significantly predicts the mental health outcomes and punishment and warmth of fathers and are important risk factors to address within policies and practices regarding refugee parents.