Community Engagement as a Mediator of Well-Being Among Syrian Refugee Youth in Jordan: A Quantitative Mediation Model

Abstract

Background: Syrian refugees in Jordan experienced protracted displacement conditions in which access to education and employment remained uneven, and well-being depended not only on material resources but also on social inclusion and belonging. Community engagement represented a potential mechanism through which structural opportunities translated into psychosocial outcomes for refugee youth.

Aim: This study examined whether community engagement/social inclusion mediated the relationships among educational access, employment opportunities, and well-being/future outlook among Syrian refugee youth in Jordan.

Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative design was used with a survey sample of Syrian refugee youth (N = 400). Constructs were measured using 5-point Likert scales: Educational Access (B1–B4), Employment Opportunities (C1–C4), Community Engagement/Social Inclusion (D1–D4), Gender-Related Experiences (E1–E3), and Well-being/Future Outlook (F1–F4). Exploratory factor analysis supported a five-factor structure, and reliability was acceptable across scales. Pearson correlations and mediation analyses were conducted, with covariates included for both the mediator and the outcome. Indirect effects were tested using bias-corrected bootstrapping (5,000 resamples).

Results: Educational access and employment opportunities positively predicted community engagement/social inclusion, and community engagement positively predicted well-being/future outlook. Bootstrapped indirect effects supported mediation for both predictors. After accounting for community engagement, direct effects of educational access and employment opportunities on well-being/future outlook were not statistically significant, indicating an indirect-only pattern.

Conclusion: Community engagement mediated the link between structural opportunities and well-being among Syrian refugee youth in Jordan, suggesting that education and employment initiatives were most beneficial when paired with strategies that strengthened participation, belonging, and inclusive social ties.

Keywords: Syrian refugees; community engagement; well-being; mediation; Jordan

DOI: 10.7176/IKM/16-2-01

Publication date: June 30^th 2026