Research Project: Stigma in the lives of refugees living in Turkey
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Contributors
Funders
ID
TB.00676
Authors
Turan, Bülent
Faculty Member
Publications
Stigma and social acceptance of individuals who use substances: the moderating role of collectivistic cultural orientation
(American Psychological Association, 2024) Turan, Bülent; Agralı, Burcu; Akınkoç, İlayda; Norcini-Pala, Andrea; Department of Psychology; Yes; College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Theoretical and empirical work suggests that stereotypes associated with mental health conditions automatically lead to stigmatizing attitudes toward individuals with mental health problems. However, the downstream path from stigma to social rejection may not be automatic: Certain factors may buffer the association between stigmatizing attitudes and social rejection. Theoretical work also emphasizes the significance of considering cultural factors, such as cultural orientations, in understanding the effects of stigma related to mental health conditions. We aimed to examine the role of cultural orientations within the context of the association between substance use stigma and social acceptance. Participants from Turkey (N = 200) completed measures on substance use stigma, cultural orientations, and social acceptance of individuals who use substances. To investigate the main and interaction (moderating) effects of stigmatizing attitudes and cultural orientations on social acceptance of individuals who use substances, multiple linear regression analysis was conducted. We found that low stigma and high collectivistic orientation had independent associations with social acceptance. Furthermore, collectivistic orientation moderated the association between stigmatizing attitudes and social acceptance. Specifically, higher levels of substance use stigma were associated with lower levels of social acceptance of individuals who use substances only for participants who scored lower on collectivistic orientation. The collectivistic values of social connectedness and prioritization of the group needs might explain the social acceptance among individuals who have a higher collectivistic orientation, even when stigmatizing attitudes are high. Results have implications for interventions and policies to help increase social acceptance of individuals who use substances.
Refugee stigma and its toll on mental health: development and validation of the refugee stigma scale (RSS)
(BMJ Publishing Group, 2025) Abdollahpour Ranjbar, Hamed; Elazab, Ahmoud Mohamed Khaled; Almeamari, Fatema Abdulhameed Husain; Acartürk, Ceren; Turan, Janet Molzan; Turan, Bülent; Abdollahpour Ranjbar, Hamed; Yiğit, İbrahim; Kurt, Gülşah; Norcini Pala, Andrea; Department of Psychology; Yes; Elazab, Ahmoud Mohamed Khaled; Almeamari, Fatema Abdulhameed Husain; College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Background: Unprecedented, forced displacement, especially from conflict and war areas, requires addressing resultant mental health issues. Aim: Refugees experience mental and physical health problems due to post-displacement stressors, and the pervasive stigma associated with refugee status can exacerbate these difficulties, highlighting the need for a comprehensive assessment tool to understand various facets of refugee stigma. Method: We developed the refugee stigma scale (RSS), consisting of 43 items informed by the literature, qualitative and quantitative data. The scale includes four theoretical dimensions of stigma: perceived community stigma, experienced stigma, anticipated stigma and internalised stigma. To examine convergent validity, validated self-report measures assessing depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), somatic symptoms (SSs), post-migration difficulties and contact experiences were used. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) examined the scale structure, and multiple-group CFA (MG-CFA) was used to assess measurement invariance. Cronbach's alpha was used to test internal reliability, and associations of the stigma dimensions with depression, anxiety, PTSD and SSs were examined to test validity. Results: In a sample of (n=851, 404 Syrian, 63.9% men; 447 Afghan, 67.1% men) refugees in T & uuml;rkiye, the CFA supported the hypothesised four-factor structure of the RSS (fit indices: chi(2)=4051.880, df=1169, p<0.001, comparative fit index=0.99, Tucker-Lewis index=0.99, root mean square error of approximation=0.054). MG-CFA suggested that RSS is invariant across Syrian and Afghan refugees, gender, educational level, length of stay and legal status in the host country. High internal reliability (alpha>0.88) and strong associations of the stigma dimensions with health outcomes support the reliability and convergent validity of the RSS. Conclusion: This study provides robust evidence for the RSS as a scale assessing different dimensions of stigma related to refugee status. The RSS can provide valuable insight into the complex web of refugee status stigma and mental and physical health difficulties.
Development and validation of the microaggression scale for refugees (MSR): independent contributions of microaggression and experienced stigma to psychological distress and somatic symptoms
(Elsevier, 2026) Abdollahpour Ranjbar, Hamed; Kaynak, Mehpare Selcan; Almeamari, Fatema Abdulhameed Husain; Amayreh, Farah; Turan, Bülent; Kaynak, Mehpare Selcan; Abdollahpour Ranjbar, Hamed; Yigit, Ibrahim; Norcini-Pala, Andrea; Department of Psychology; Yes; Almeamari, Fatema Abdulhameed Husain; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; Amayreh, Farah
Background: Refugees face psychosocial challenges after resettling in host nations, including experienced stigma and microaggressions. Microaggressions are subtle/ambiguous discriminatory remarks or behaviors. There is a dearth of research and instruments examining microaggressions faced by refugees. Aims: We developed and validated the Microaggression Scale for Refugees (MSR) among Syrian and Afghan refugees in Türkiye and differentiated the unique/independent nature of microaggressions and experienced stigma and their effects on health. Method: 445 Afghans and 406 Syrians completed the MSR and measures of psychological distress and somatic symptoms. We evaluated the factorial validity of the MSR independently of experienced stigma through the application of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Additionally, we employed multiple-group CFA to assess measurement invariance across Afghan and Syrian populations. Internal reliability was examined using Cronbach's alpha. Associations with relevant constructs were evaluated for convergent validity. Independent roles that experienced stigma and microaggressions play in contributing to psychological and physical symptoms were investigated using hierarchical regression analyses. Results: The MSR's two-factor model of microaggressions and experienced stigma fits the data well, with measurement invariance supported for Syrian and Afghan refugees. The MSR showed good internal reliability (α = 0.93). Convergent validity was supported by high correlations between microaggressions and experienced stigma, somatic symptoms, post-migration difficulties, and contact experiences with the host country. Both experienced stigma and microaggressions contributed independently to explaining variance in psychological and somatic symptoms. Conclusions: The MSR is a psychometrically sound tool to assess microaggressions refugees experience. Results highlight the importance of addressing microaggressions in interventions for refugee/immigrant populations.
