From Forced Migration to Voluntary Return: Psychosocial Factors Influencing Syrian Refugees’ Decisions to Return to Their Homeland After the War

Öz

This qualitative study explores the psychosocial factors influencing Syrian refugees’ voluntary return decisions. Based on semi-structured interviews with 14 returnees, the data were analyzed using content analysis. Five main themes emerged: perceptions of safety, psychological recovery, sense of belonging, social and familial ties, and adaptation challenges in the host country. The findings indicate that improved security conditions and hope for reconstruction in Syria, together with a strong desire to preserve cultural identity and reunite with family members, play a central role in return decisions. The study concludes that voluntary return is a complex psychosocial process that requires migration policies prioritizing individuals’ psychological and social well-being.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Syrian refugees
• voluntary return
• psychosocial factors
• psychological well-being
• sense of belonging

Zorunlu Göçten Gönüllü Dönüşe: Savaşın Ardından Suriyeli Sığınmacıların Ülkelerine Geri Dönüş Kararlarını Etkileyen Psikososyal Faktörler

Öz

Bu nitel araştırma, Suriyeli sığınmacıların gönüllü geri dönüş kararlarını etkileyen psikososyal faktörleri incelemektedir. Geri dönüş yapmış 14 katılımcıyla yürütülen yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmelere dayanan veriler, içerik analizi kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Analiz sonucunda güvenlik algısı, psikolojik iyileşme, aidiyet duygusu, sosyal ve ailesel bağlar ve ev sahibi ülkedeki uyum güçlükleri olmak üzere beş ana tema ortaya çıkmıştır. Bulgular, Suriye’de güvenlik koşullarının iyileşmesi ve yeniden yapılanmaya ilişkin umudun; kültürel kimliği koruma ve aile üyeleriyle yeniden bir araya gelme isteğiyle birlikte, geri dönüş kararlarında merkezi bir rol oynadığını göstermektedir. Çalışma, gönüllü geri dönüşün bireylerin psikolojik ve sosyal iyi oluşunu önceleyen göç politikalarını gerektiren karmaşık bir psikososyal süreç olduğu sonucuna varmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Suriyeli sığınmacılar
• gönüllü geri dönüş
• psikososyal faktörler
• psikolojik iyilik hali
• aidiyet duygusu

Kaynakça

1. Adhikari, P. (2012). The plight of the forgotten ones: Civil war and forced migration. International Studies Quarterly, 56(3), 590-606. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2478.2011.00712.x
2. Ahmad, M. S., Bukhari, Z., Khan, S., Ashraf, I., & Kanwal, A. (2023). No safe place for war survivors: War memory, event exposure, and migrants’ psychological trauma. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 1-8. 966556. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.966556
3. Ajin, T., & Kumar, S. (2024). Syrian refugee crisis: An overview. IUP Journal of International Relations, 18(2), 55-62.
4. Akar, S., & Erdoğdu, M. M. (2019). Syrian refugees in Turkey and integration problem ahead. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 20, 925-940. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-018-0639-0
5. Al Gharaibeh, F., & O’Sullivan, J. (2021). The impact of war followed by forced displacement on women and children: How Syrian mothers perceive their experiences. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 41(11/12), 1290-1305. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-11-2020-0508
6. Al Husein, N., & Wagner, N. (2023). Determinants of intended return migration among refugees: A comparison of Syrian refugees in Germany and Turkey. International Migration Review, 57(4), 1771-1805. https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183221142780
7. Al Shar, S., & Al Tarawneh, M. (2019). Identity crisis and assimilation problems among Syrian refugee women residing outside refugee camps in Jordan. International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies, 10(4.1), 44-64. https://doi.org/10.18357/ijcyfs104.1201919286
8. Almohammad, D., Durrah, O., & Ahmed, F. (2021). Deciphering the motives, barriers and integration of Syrian refugee entrepreneurs into Turkish society: A SEM approach. Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance, 23(1), 59-76. https://doi.org/10.18357/ijcyfs104.1201919286

9. Alrababah, A., Masterson, D., Casalis, M., Hangartner, D., & Weinstein, J. (2023). The dynamics of refugee return: Syrian refugees and their migration intentions. British Journal of Political Science, 53(4), 1108-1131. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123422000667
10. Alpak, G., Unal, A., Bulbul, F., Sagaltici, E., Bez, Y., Altindag, A., ... & Savas, H. A. (2015). Post-traumatic stress disorder among Syrian refugees in Turkey: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 19(1), 45-50. https://doi.org/10.3109/13651501.2014.961930
11. Altınışık, M. S., Şahin, M., & Şanlı, E. (2022). Geçici koruma altındaki Suriyelilerde psikolojik yardım almanın önündeki engeller. Göç Araştırmaları Dergisi, 8(1), 99-128.
12. Altınışık, M. S., & Şanlı, E. (2024). The moderating role of perceived social support in the relationship between the ımpact of events and post-traumatic growth among Syrian refugees. Societies, 14(7), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14070107
13. Altınışık, M. S., Şanlı, E., & Genç, A. (2024). The Mediating Role of Social Stigma Anxiety Related to Seeking Psychological Help in the Relationship Between the Impact of Traumas and Self-Disclosure in Syrian Refugees. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 33(11), 1418-1436. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2024.2373343
14. Anderson, T. H. (2022). Factors that Affect Anxiety and Acculturation in Syrian Emigrants. Walden University. Doctoral Dissertation. Walden University. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13165
15. Anthias, F. (2008). Thinking through the lens of translocational positionality: an intersectionality frame for understanding identity and belonging. Translocations: Migration and Social Change, 4(1), 5-20.
16. Apak, H. (2015). Suriyeli göçmenlerin gelecek beklentileri: Mardin örneği. Birey ve Toplum Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 5(1), 125-142. https://doi.org/10.20493/bt.53521
17. Apak, H. (2022). Adaptation and future expectations of Syrian refugees living in Mardin: Comparison between 2014 and 2021. İçtimaiyat, 6 (Göç ve Mültecilik Özel Sayısı), 252-268. https://doi.org/10.33709/ictimaiyat.1055490
18. Arafat, S., Alsabek, M. B., Ahmad, M., Hamo, I., & Munder, E. (2017). Penetrating abdominal injuries during the Syrian war: Patterns and factors affecting mortality rates. Injury, 48(5), 1054-1057. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2017.02.005
19. Arvanitis, E., & Yelland, N. (2021). ‘Home means everything to me…’: A study of young Syrian refugees’ narratives constructing home in Greece. Journal of Refugee Studies, 34(1), 535-554. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fez030
20. Bahçekapılı, C., & Cetin, B. (2015). The impacts of forced migration on regional economies: The case of Syrian refugees in Turkey. International Business Research, 8(9), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v8n9p1
21. Balkan, B., & Tümen, S. (2016). Immigration and prices: quasi-experimental evidence from Syrian refugees in Turkey. Journal of Population Economics, 29, 657-686. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-016-0583-2
22. Barış, M., Sert, G., & Önder, O. (2025). Ethical challenges in accessing and providing healthcare for Syrian refugees in Türkiye. Bioethics, 39(1), 49-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.13233
23. Bennett, T., Bartlett, L., Olatunde, O. A., & Amowitz, L. (2004). Refugees, forced displacement, and war. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 10(11), 2034. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1011.040624_03
24. Bernard, V. (2017). Migration and displacement: Humanity with its back to the wall. International Review of the Red Cross, 99(904), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1816383118000206
25. Berti, B. (2018). Stability in Syria: what would it take to make it happen?. Orbis, 62(3), 422-437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2018.05.008
26. Bhugra, D., & Becker, M. A. (2005). Migration, cultural bereavement and cultural identity. World psychiatry: Official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 4(1), 18–24.
27. Byelikova, Y., & Taukeer, M. (2024). Return Intention Outcomes of Forced Migrants. Border Crossing, 14(2), 151-165. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5603769/v1
28. Can, Ş. (2021). Syrian Displacement, Gender and Boundary-Making in the Turkish Borderlands. Anthropology of East Europe Review, 38(1), 143-155. https://doi.org/10.14434/aeer.v37i1.33502
29. Cantekin, D., & Gençöz, T. (2017). Mental health of Syrian asylum seekers in Turkey: The role of pre-migration and post-migration risk factors. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 36(10), 835-859. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2017.36.10.835
30. Caro, L. P. (2020). Syrian refugees in the Turkish labour market: A socio-economic analysis. Sosyoekonomi, 28(46), 51-74. https://doi.org/10.17233/sosyoekonomi.2020.04.03
31. Castelli, F. (2018). Drivers of migration: why do people move?. Journal of Travel Medicine, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/tay040
32. Chatty, D. (2018). Syria: The making and unmaking of a refuge state. Oxford University Press.
33. Çapar, M. C., & Ceylan, M. (2022). Durum çalışması ve olgubilim desenlerinin karşılaştırılması. Anadolu Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 22(Özel Sayı 2), 295-312. https://doi.org/10.18037/ausbd.1227359
34. Çoltu, S., & Öztürk, S. (2018). Suriyeli mültecilerin Türkiye ekonomisine etkileri. Balkan Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 7(13), 188-198.
35. Dama, N. (2024). The homeland perception of second generation Syrians in Türkiye with the context of social reconciliation approach. I. M. AlDajani & M. Leiner (Eds.). In Reconciliation, Conflict Transformation, and Peace Studies (pp. 267-280). Springer.
36. Delioğlu, M., & Kalaycı, İ. (2022). Antakya’ya göç eden Suriye Türklerinin perspektifinden göç ve göçmenlik üzerine nitel bir araştırma. Anasay, (20), 239-270. https://doi.org/10.33404/anasay.1099146
37. Dembitskyi, S., Sydorov, M., Moskotina, R., Zlobina, O., & Kovalska, Y. (2025). Effect of war and displacement on psychological distress: A study of Ukrainian citizens. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 38(1), 137-151. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2025.2467836
38. Dinçer, O. B., & Şahin‐Mencütek, Z. (2025). Refugee return, reintegration, and citizenship practices in post‐conflict Syria. International Migration, 63(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13379
39. Duman, Y., & Coşkan, C. (2023). Locals’ support for integration policies and asylum seekers’ rights: Exploring a normative model of support for Syrians in Turkey. Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, 23(3), 407-429. https://doi.org/10.1111/sena.12399
40. Elgin, C., & Elveren, A. Y. (2024). Wage-productivity gap and discrimination against Syrian refugees: Evidence from Turkey. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 35(2), 243-255. https://doi.org/10.1017/elr.2024.15
41. Erdal, M. B., & Oeppen, C. (2020). Forced to leave? The discursive and analytical significance of describing migration as forced and voluntary. M. B. Erdal & C. Oeppen (Eds.) In Aspiration, Desire and the Drivers of Migration (pp. 73-90). Routledge.
42. Erşahin, Z. (2022). Post-traumatic growth among Syrian refugees in Turkey: The role of coping strategies and religiosity. Current Psychology, 41(4), 2398-2407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00763-8
43. Erden-basaran, O. (2023). The role of temporary education centers on Syrian refugee students’ socio-cultural adaptation. Adıyaman University Journal of Educational Sciences, 13(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.17984/adyuebd.1113518
44. Göç İdaresi Genel Müdürlüğü [GİGM] (2025). Geçici koruma kapsamında bulunan Suriyelilerin yaş ve cinsiyete göre dağılımı. https://www.goc.gov.tr/gecici-koruma5638 (Erişim tarihi: 05.07.2025).
45. Gökalp, Z. Ş., & Kozan, H. İ. Ö. (2023). Posttraumatic Growth and Psychosocial Adjustment of Syrian Refugees in Turkey. R. Berger (Ed.) In The Routledge International Handbook of Posttraumatic Growth. (pp. 277-290). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032208688
46. Hartman, A. C., Morse, B. S., & Weber, S. (2021). Violence, displacement, and support for internally displaced persons: Evidence from Syria. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 65(10), 1791-1819.
47. Harzig, C., & Hoerder, D. (2013). What is migration history?. John Wiley & Sons.
48. Hassan, G., Ventevogel, P., Jefee-Bahloul, H., Barkil-Oteo, A., & Kirmayer, L. J. (2016). Mental health and psychosocial well-being of Syrians affected by armed conflict. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 25(2), 129-141. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796016000044
49. Holton, M. J. (2016). Longing for home: Forced displacement and postures of hospitality. Yale University Press.
50. Hutchinson, M., & Dorsett, P. (2012). What does the literature say about resilience in refugee people? Implications for practice. Journal of Social Inclusion, 3(2), 55-78. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/51564
51. Idlebi, R., & Omaish Abdullah, H. (2025). Multiple views on return migration to northern Syria. International Social Science Journal, 75(255), 193-207. https://doi.org/10.1111/issj.12545
52. İçduygu, A., & Nimer, M. (2020). The politics of return: exploring the future of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Third World Quarterly, 41(3), 415-433. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2019.1675503
53. Karaman, M. A., Schmit, M. K., & Can, N. (2023). “I fight, I don’t give up hope”: Resilience and life satisfaction among Syrian refugee university students in Turkey. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 21(3), 486-501. https://doi.org/10.1080/15562948.2022.2064029
54. Kaya, S., & Orchard, P. (2020). Prospects of return: The case of Syrian refugees in Germany. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 18(1), 95-112. https://doi.org/10.1080/15562948.2019.1570579
55. Kerbabian, S. (2019). A Long Way Home: Spontaneous Returns and Potential Returns of Syrian Refugees Examined. Master’s Thesis. Linnaeus University.
56. Kira, I. A., & Tummala-Narra, P. (2015). Psychotherapy with refugees: Emerging paradigm. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 20(5), 449-467. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2014.949145
57. Kirişci, K. (2014). Syrian refugees and Turkey’s challenges: Going beyond hospitality. Brookings. Madi, F., Ismail, H., Fouad, F. M., Kerbage, H., Zaman, S., Jayawickrama, J., & Sibai, A. M. (2019). Death, dying, and end-of-life experiences among refugees: a scoping review. Journal of Palliative Care, 34(2), 139-144. https://doi.org/10.1177/0825859718812770
58. McNeill, W. H. (1984). Human migration in historical perspective. Population and development Review, 10(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.2307/1973159
59. Mihaylov, D. (2025). Syria: A Sudden Change, a Complicated Present, a Nebulous Future. Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/23739770.2025.2469465
60. Miller, K. E., & Rasmussen, A. (2017). The mental health of civilians displaced by armed conflict: an ecological model of refugee distress. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 26(2), 129-138. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796016000172
61. Mohamed, M. A., & Abdul-Talib, A. N. (2020). Push–pull factors influencing international return migration intentions: a systematic literature review. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 14(2), 231-246. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEC-01-2020-0004
62. Momani, A. M., Alduraidi, H., & Zaghmouri, A. (2023). Safety and security are everything: A qualitative study on the quality of life of Syrian refugees living in Za’atari camp. International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, 19(3/4), 407-416. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-01-2023-0003
63. Özden, S. (2013). Syrian refugees in Turkey. Migration Policy Centre, MPC Research Report, 2013/05. https://hdl.handle.net/1814/29455
64. Özkaleli, U. (2025). De-essentializing refugees: Perceptions, experiences, and becoming of Syrians in Türkiye. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-5519-9
65. Özkan, Z., Eryılmaz, A., & Ergün, N. (2023). Intentions to return and migrate to the Third Countries: A socio-demographic investigation among Syrians in Turkey. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 24(4), 1571-1587. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-023-01031-x
66. Phillimore, J. (2021). Refugee-integration-opportunity structures: Shifting the focus from refugees to context. Journal of Refugee Studies, 34(2), 1946-1966. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feaa012
67. Rizkalla, N., Alsamman, S., Bakr, O., Masud, H., Sbini, S., & Segal, S. P. (2024). Hidden scars: the persistent multifaceted health and psychosocial consequences for Syrian torture survivors. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 15(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2024.2400833
68. Rizkalla, N., Bakr, O., Alsamman, S., Sbini, S., Masud, H., & Segal, S. P. (2022). The Syrian regime’s apparatus for systemic torture: A qualitative narrative study of testimonies from survivors. BMC psychiatry, 22(1), 787. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04425-w
69. Robertson, C. L., & Hoffman, S. J. (2014). Conflict and forced displacement: human migration, human rights, and the science of health. Nursing Research, 63(5), 307-308. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.0000000000000058
70. Safdar, S., Ray-Yol, E., Reif, J. A., & Berger, R. (2021). Multidimensional individual difference acculturation (MIDA) model: Syrian refugees’ adaptation into Germany. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 85, 156-169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2021.09.012
71. Sharani, S. (2022). The narratives of Syrian refugees on taking Turkey as a land of a long or temporary settlement. E. Balkan; Z. K. Tonak (Eds). Refugees on the Move: Crisis and Response in Turkey and Europe in (pp. 281-311). Berghahn Books, https://doi.org/10.1515/9781800736528-015
72. Samari, G. (2017). Syrian refugee women’s health in Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan and recommendations for improved practice. World medical & health policy, 9(2), 255-274. https://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.231
73. Seven, Ü. (2022). Armed conflict, violence, and the decision to migrate: explaining the determinants of displacement in Syria. Migration and Development, 11(3), 1029-1045. https://doi.org/10.1080/21632324.2020.1859177
74. Sleijpen, M., Boeije, H. R., Kleber, R. J., & Mooren, T. (2016). Between power and powerlessness: A meta-ethnography of sources of resilience in young refugees. Ethnicity & health, 21(2), 158-180. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2015.1044946
75. Şafak-Ayvazoğlu, A., Kunuroglu, F., & Yağmur, K. (2021). Psychological and socio-cultural adaptation of Syrian refugees in Turkey. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 80, 99-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2020.11.003
76. Şimşek, D. (2017). Turkey as a “safe third country”? The impacts of the EU-Turkey statement on Syrian refugees in Turkey. Perceptions: Journal of International Affairs, 22(3), 161-182.
77. Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1501_01
78. Tekeli Yeşil, S., Işık, E., Ünal, Y., Aljomaa Almossa, F., Konsuk Unlu, H., & Aker, A. T. (2018). Determinants of mental disorders in Syrian refugees in Turkey versus internally displaced persons in Syria. American Journal of Public Health, 108(7), 938-945. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304405
79. Tezcan, T. (2019). What initiates, what postpones return migration intention? The case of Turkish immigrants residing in Germany. Population, Space and Place, 25(3), e2175. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2175
80. Tobin, S. A., Momani, F., & Al Yakoub, T. (2022). ‘The war has divided us more than ever’: Syrian refugee family networks and social capital for mobility through protracted displacement in Jordan. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 48(18), 4365-4382. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2022.2090157
81. Umer, M., & Elliot, D. L. (2021). Being hopeful: Exploring the dynamics of post-traumatic growth and hope in refugees. Journal of Refugee Studies, 34(1), 953-975. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fez002
82. Watson, R. (2020). Refugees Searching for Home in the Syrian Diaspora. Review of Middle East Studies, 54(1), 97-106. https://doi.org/10.1017/rms.2020.20
83. Van Uden, J., & Jongerden, J. (2021). ‘Everyone is a Possibility’: Messy Networks of Refugees from Syria in Urfa, Turkey. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 23(2), 251-268. https://doi.org/10.1080/19448953.2020.1867807
84. Verhellen, J. (2018). Cross-border portability of refugees’ personal status. Journal of Refugee Studies, 31(4), 427-443. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fex026
85. Von Haumeder, A., Ghafoori, B., & Retailleau, J. (2019). Psychological adaptation and posttraumatic stress disorder among Syrian refugees in Germany: a mixed-methods study investigating environmental factors. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 10(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1686801
86. Yılmaz, E., Tamam, L., & Cengisiz, C. (2024). Post-traumatic stress disorder among long-term resettled Syrian refugees in Turkey: a comprehensive analysis of pre-and post-migratory factors. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1352288
87. Yohani, S., Kirova, A., Georgis, R., Gokiert, R., Mejia, T., & Chiu, Y. (2019). Cultural brokering with Syrian refugee families with young children: An exploration of challenges and best practices in psychosocial adaptation. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 20(4), 1181-1202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-019-00651-6