The BIOPATH study

 

The biological pathways of risk and resilience in Syrian refugee children (BIOPATH) study aims to explore the relationships between psychosocial (e.g. parenting quality, coping strategies, socioeconomic status) and biological (e.g. hormones and DNA) factors in the development of resilience and mental health in Syrian refugee children. In a cohort of 1,600 children and their primary caregivers, five broad categories of data were collected at two time-points spaced 12 months apart.

Each of the categories of data are briefly described below. Should you wish to access any of these data, please contact Professor Michael Pluess. For a more detailed overview of the BIOPATH study and the available data, please refer to the cohort profile paper and/or the documentation summary.

If you would like to browse the available demographic and psychosocial data, check out the BIOPATH codebook, or download the data dictionary. Members can access further detailed documentation covering all of the materials and methods used in the study.

Demographic and medical information

Demographic and medical information includes data on the personal and health characteristics of the study participants (both children and caregivers) at both waves of data collection. These characteristics include age, gender, nationality, marital status, smoking behaviour, previous/current illness and injuries, family composition, socioeconomic status, living arrangements, education, religion, and personal and family health.

Psychosocial and environmental measures

Over 30 psychosocial and environmental measures were completed by BIOPATH participants at both waves of data collection. These were adapted from existing reliable and valid instruments used in previously published research or specifically designed for this study. Together, these measures assess various aspects of personality, behaviour, and well-being in children and their caregivers. Details regarding war exposure and the quality of the refugee environment were also recorded.

Hair hormone concentrations

Children provided a 2 cm hair sample from which concentrations of cortisol, testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone were assayed. Laboratory assays (enzyme-linked immunosorption) were conducted at the Drug Safety Lab in Ontario, Canada. Hormone concentrations are provided in their raw format, as well as log-transformed (to normalise their distribution) and mean-centred per batch (to correct for batch effects).

Genotype data

Children provided saliva samples which were collected using IsoHelix GeneFix collection kits. From these samples, genomic DNA was extracted and genotyped on the Illumina Global Screening Array which types 650,181 single nucleotide polymorphisms genome-wide. Genotype data can either be provided raw, or following various degrees of post-processing (post-quality control; post-imputation etc.)

Methylation data

Genomic DNA extracted from saliva was used to assess methylation at key loci. Samples were transported to the UCL Genomics Centre and analysed using the EPIC array, scanned by the Illumina iScan.