Minority Stress and Socio-Cultural Segregation among Syrian University Students in Türkiye

Since 2011, Türkiye has been the country most affected by the Syrian civil war. It is important to address some specific psychosocial dynamics such as minority stress in the acculturation processes between Syrians and the host society. The aim of this study is to understand the socio-cultural segregation due to minority stress experienced by Syrian university students who migrated to Türkiye for forced reasons. Thematic analysis was used to analyze an open-ended semi-structured interview with 13 Syrian students staying in Türkiye under "temporary protection" status due to the civil war. The participants were of Turkmen, Arab and Kurdish ethnicities. Participants reported being more prone to in-group activities due to minority stress. The analyses revealed a number of factors contributing to segregation in the students' resocialization processes with the local population: mistrust towards marriage; social cliques; content differentiation in conversations and repulsive/exclusionary gazes. The findings indicated that these factors contributed to a socio-cultural segregation in participants whose emotional state stemmed from minority stress as they tried to adapt to the host society. Dynamic implications for mental health professionals regarding this population are discussed.