Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41232947›Full record

ArticleBMJ global health2025

Refugee stigma and its toll on mental health: development and validation of the refugee stigma scale (RSS).

Hamed Abdollahpour Ranjbar, Khaled Elazab, Ibrahim Yigit, Fatema Almeamari, Ceren Acartürk, Gülşah Kurt, Janet Turan, Andrea Norcini Pala, Bulent Turan

Abstract readValidation Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ global health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Hamed Abdollahpour RanjbarDepartment of Psychology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Koç University, Istanbul, Türkiye.ORCID 0000-0002-2923-5829
Khaled ElazabDepartment of Psychology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Koç University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Ibrahim YigitCollege of Nursing, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
Fatema AlmeamariDepartment of Psychology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Koç University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Ceren AcartürkDepartment of Psychology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Koç University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Gülşah KurtSchool of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Janet TuranDepartment of Psychology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Koç University, Istanbul, Türkiye.ORCID 0000-0002-7802-6206
Andrea Norcini PalaSchool of Public Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, New York City, New York, USA.
Bulent TuranDepartment of Psychology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Koç University, Istanbul, Türkiye bturan@ku.edu.tr.

Funding

Evaluation of Neurobiological Mechanisms Mediating the Effect of Immune Activation on Neurocognitive Impairment and the Role of Psychosocial Factors Among Women Living with HIVR01MH131177 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI Andrea Norcini Pala, Pariya Fazeli Wheeler · 2022 to 2026
$3.3M
A behavioral intervention for Black men who have sex with men and live with HIV to address intersectional stigma and improve antiretroviral therapy adherenceK01MH125724 · NIMH · SUNY DOWNSTATE MEDICAL CENTER · PI NORCINI PALA, ANDREA · 2021 to 2025
$878k
NIMH NIH HHS K01 MH125724NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH131177
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUnprecedented, forced displacement, especially from conflict and war areas, requires addressing resultant mental health issues.

aimRefugees 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.

methodWe 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.

resultsIn a sample of (n=851, 404 Syrian, 63.9% men; 447 Afghan, 67.1% men) refugees in Türkiye, the CFA supported the hypothesised four-factor structure of the RSS (fit indices: χ

conclusionThis 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.

Indexed as

Mental HealthRefugeesSocial StigmaAdolescentAdultAfghanistanAnxietyDepressionFactor Analysis, StatisticalFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPsychometricsReproducibility of ResultsStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticGlobal HealthHealth policies and all other topicsMental Health & PsychiatryPublic Health

Identifiers

PMID41232947
PMCPMC12625852

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.