Childhood maltreatment and risky behaviors in Syrian refugee and host-country adolescents: a cross-sectional multi-group structural equation modeling analysis

Syrian refugee and Turkish host-country adolescents may experience distinct patterns of adversity, stress, and behavioral risk; however, the psychosocial processes linking childhood maltreatment to adolescent risky behaviors across these populations remain insufficiently understood. Grounded primarily in developmental psychopathology and stress-process perspectives, the present study comparatively examined associations between childhood maltreatment and adolescent risky behaviors among Syrian refugee and Turkish host-country adolescents using a cross-sectional multi-group structural equation modeling (SEM) framework. Specifically, indirect associations involving somatic complaints and perceived stress were examined, while social desirability and gender were evaluated as moderators of the childhood maltreatment–somatic complaint pathway. Participants included 266 adolescents [165 Syrian refugee adolescents; 101 Turkish host-country peers; mean age = 15.51 ( SD = 2.14); ≅ 70% female] recruited consecutively from child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient services. Measures assessed previous childhood maltreatment, perceived stress, psychological distress, somatic complaints, social desirability, affective states, personality traits, executive functioning, and risky behaviors. Multiple linear regression analyses and multi-group SEM analyses were conducted to examine associations among variables and group-specific pathway patterns. Syrian adolescents reported substantially higher risky behavior scores, whereas Turkish adolescents endorsed higher levels of childhood maltreatment, psychological distress, somatic complaints, and perceived stress. In the overall sample, childhood maltreatment, male gender, and somatic complaints were positively associated with risky behaviors, whereas conscientiousness and social desirability demonstrated negative associations. Multi-group SEM indicated that childhood maltreatment was directly associated with risky behaviors and also indirectly associated with risky behaviors through perceived stress among Syrian adolescents, with the indirect association occurring in a negative direction. The childhood maltreatment-somatic complaint relationship varied according to both social desirability and gender. Higher socially desirable responding was associated with a weaker relationship. In addition, a stronger link was observed among Syrian girls than boys. Among Turkish adolescents, executive functioning difficulties and psychological distress were stronger correlates of risky behaviors. The association between childhood maltreatment and risky behaviors was more pronounced among Syrian adolescents than Turkish counterparts. Findings provide partial support for indirect and moderated associations between childhood maltreatment and adolescent risky behaviors within a cross-sectional multi-group SEM framework. The results suggest that patterns of association linking childhood maltreatment and risky behaviors may differ across refugee and host-country adolescents and may be shaped by social desirability response style and gender. The discrepancy between elevated risky behaviors and comparatively lower self-reported distress among Syrian adolescents further highlights the importance of culturally sensitive and multidimensional assessment approaches in refugee mental health settings.