Disability Among Syrian Refugees Living in Sultanbeyli, Istanbul: Results from a Population-based Survey

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of disability among Syrian refugees living in Sultanbeyli district, Istanbul and compare people with and without disabilities in terms of demographic and socio-economic characteristics.

Methods: Using the municipality refugee database as the sampling frame, 80 clusters of 50 people (aged 2+ years) were selected using probability proportionate to size sampling of clusters and random selection of households within clusters. Disability assessment included: i) self-reported difficulties in functioning (using the Washington Group Short Set-Enhanced tool and Child Functioning Modules), ii) Rapid Assessment of Musculoskeletal Impairment and iii) screening for symptoms of common mental disorders for children aged 8-17.

Results: The overall prevalence of disability was 24.7% (95% CI 22.1-27.4), when including people self-reporting a lot of difficulty/cannot do in at least functional domain (15%, 95% CI 13.1-17.2), moderate/severe MSI (8.7%, 95% CI 7.6-9.9), and/or symptomatic anxiety, depression and PTSD among children 8-17 (21.0%, 95% CI 18.2-23.9). Men with disabilities were significantly less likely to be in paid work compared to their peers without disabilities (aOR 0.3 95% CI 0.2-0.5). Overall 60% of households included at least one person with a disability. Households with at least one person with a disability had a significantly higher dependency ratio, lower proportion of working-age adults in paid work, and were more likely to be female headed and in receipt of social protection schemes (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Disability is common among Syrian refugees in Sultanbeyli. People with disabilities in this setting experience greater vulnerability to poverty and exclusion from work, highlighting an urgent need for inclusive services, programmes and policies that are developed and implemented in partnership with people with disabilities.