Syrian Refugee Children

Guest: Dr. Selcuk Sirin, PhD, Associate Professor of Applied Psychology at New York University Of the more than 4 million refugees fleeing war and poverty in Syria, about half are children – most under the age of twelve. Now, we’ve all seen how resilient kids can be in adapting to new environments and overcoming hardship. But what these young Syrians have – and continue – to experience is something different altogether. And the research of New York University psychology researcher Selcuk Sirin suggests the mental health needs of most of these children are not being met by the international community. Sirin spent time interviewing young Syrian refugees at a camp in Turkey to get a handle on both their mental health and educational needs.