Widowed and displaced: Spiritual and religious coping in mental health recovery among Syrian refugee women in Türkiye

Objectives: Syrian refugee women in Türkiye face intertwined challenges, trauma, displacement, economic hardship, and sociocultural pressures that impact their mental health. This study aimed to explore the relationships among trauma symptoms, psychological distress, depression, resilience, and spirituality in widowed Syrian refugee women. It also examined how demographic and contextual factors—such as age, education, length of stay in Türkiye, and residency location—contribute to mental health outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed, utilizing both online and paper-based self-administered questionnaires. A total of 167 widowed Syrian refugee women residing in Türkiye participated in the study. Standardized scales were used to assess trauma (Impact of Event Scale-Revised), psychological distress (Kessler K-10), depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), resilience, and spiritual well-being. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS Version 30. Analytical procedures included Pearson correlation, hierarchical multiple regression, one-way analysis of variance, and Tukey’s HSD post hoc tests. Results: Trauma, psychological distress, and depression were strongly interrelated ( r  = 0.522–0.622, p  < 0.001), indicating a high level of co-occurrence among mental health symptoms. Resilience and spirituality were negatively associated with both distress ( r  = −0.218 and −0.327) and depression ( r  = −0.270 and −0.333, all p  < 0.001), suggesting their protective roles. Age (β = 0.261, p  = 0.004) and years lived in Türkiye (β = −0.162, p  = 0.043) significantly predicted trauma and depression. Spirituality (β = −0.289 to −0.290, p  < 0.001) and resilience (β = −0.208, p  = 0.013) predicted lower distress and depression; residency had an impact on all psychological outcomes ( p  < 0.05). Participants in rural areas reported better mental health outcomes compared to those in urban areas. Implications: These findings highlight the dual role of individual psychological resources and broader structural conditions in shaping refugee women’s mental health. Culturally sensitive, trauma-informed interventions must therefore target both emotional coping mechanisms and the systemic inequalities influencing displaced women’s well-being.