Discrimination-Based Continuous Traumatic Stress, PTSD and Chronic Pain in Syrian Refugees: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

Emre Han ALPAY

Purpose This study aimed to examine the relationships among continuous traumatic stressors (CTS), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), somatic symptoms, and chronic pain in a sample of Syrian refugees. Specifically, we hypothesized that PTSD would mediate the association between discrimination-based CTS and chronic pain and that somatic symptoms would moderate the link between PTSD and chronic pain, such that higher somatic symptom levels would amplify this association. Materials and Methods A total of 669 Syrian refugees residing in Türkiye participated in the study. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using validated self-report instruments, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Short-Form McGill Pain Questio...