Invisible wounds: Social victimization, coping strategies, and psychological distress among widowed Syrian refugees in Jordan and Türkiye.

This study investigates how social victimization, coping strategies, and social-structural factors are associated with mental health outcomes among widowed Syrian refugee women in Jordan and Türkiye. Guided by intersectionality and conservation of resources theories, it examines whether discrimination, bullying, profiling, abuse, and coping (problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance) are related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depressive symptoms, and general psychological distress and whether these associations differ by host country. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 498 widowed Syrian women (Jordan: n = 198; Türkiye: n = 300) using standardized instruments (Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depressive Symptoms Scale, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced, Social Victimization Questionnaire). Analyses were conducted separately by country using hierarchical regressions. Across both settings, women reported high symptom burden, with intercorrelations among PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and distress, with correlation coefficients (R) ranging from .47 to .62 (p < .001). In Jordan, avoidance coping was strongly associated with PTSD and depressive symptoms (p < .01), and models explained 39.4% of PTSD and 42.5% of depressive symptom variance. In Türkiye, emotion-focused and problem-focused coping were inversely associated with distress and depressive symptoms (p < .01). Coping and victimization together accounted for 28.1% of distress and 22.7% of depressive symptom variance. Social victimization was consistently associated with higher PTSD symptoms in both countries and strongly linked to distress and depressive symptoms in Türkiye. These findings underscore pathways through which social victimization and coping contribute to mental health and inequalities while highlighting the need for antidiscrimination protections; trauma-informed mental health services; and structural supports in employment, education, and social protection for widowed Syrian refugee women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).