Women war refugees from Ukraine. Two years since the invasion
Keywords:
uchodźcy wojenni, wojna, Ukraina, Polska, praktyki społeczne, zdrowie psychiczne, praca, relacje społeczne, jakość życia, Warunki życiowe, dzieciSynopsis
Socio-demographic characteristics
In the studied group of women, three-quarters (3/4) lived in large cities (over 500,000 inhabitants) before the war, with only 6% residing in rural areas. The majority of refugees originate from the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kiev Oblasts. The average age was 44. More than half of the surveyed group was aged between 35 and 44 (46%). The majority of the respondents had higher education (83%). The refugees originate from families which were financially well-off before the outbreak of the war (65%).
Children
Among the surveyed women, 66% were married, and 53% arrived in Poland alone with their children. Of these women, 38% had one child, while 29% had two children. More than half of the children who arrived with their mothers (58%) were aged between 10 and 18. 47% of the children attended Polish schools, 8% attended Ukrainian schools online, 27% attended both Polish and Ukrainian schools, and 18% were not receiving education anywhere.
Command of Polish
Among the respondents, 45% speak Polish, with every fifth respondent understanding Polish, but not speaking it. As many as 81% have been learning the Polish language. At present, they most often learn Polish in courses conducted by foundations or associations (45%), and through self-study (27%). Importantly, 57% are still actively learning Polish.
Living conditions
The majority of surveyed women have been living in Poland for a year or longer (73%). More than half of the respondents (52%) had never been to Poland before the war migration. Three-quarters (3/4) reside in large cities in Poland with populations exceeding 500,000 inhabitants. As many as 66% of the respondents live in rented apartments or rooms.
Quality of life
Female refugees assigned the highest ratings (on a scale from 1 to 5) to safety in their places of residence, public transportation, and their own education highest. The lowest ratings were given to remuneration for work, the financial standing of their families, their jobs, and healthcare.
Relationships with Poles
The majority of the surveyed refugees perceive the local community’s attitudes towards them as either neutral (43%) or warm + very warm (47%). The respondents evaluated their own attitudes towards the local community as neutral (32%) or warm + very warm (64%). A correlation is observed between the evaluation of mutual attitudes of the refugees and the local community.
As many as 42% of the respondents believe that the attitudes of Poles towards them have worsened since their arrival, one-third did not observe any changes, whereas another one-third found it difficult to evaluate this matter.
Adaptation problems
Among one-third of the refugee children, a deterioration in well-being and behaviour was observed upon their arrival in Poland, while a similar proportion of children improved their behaviour, according to their mothers’ opinions. Among the surveyed women, 62% continued to live in the city where they first arrived. The remaining female refugees have changed their place of residence. More than half of the respondents have not travelled back to Ukraine since their stay in Poland began.
The most challenging and burdensome problems faced by refugees include a lack of clear plans for the future (60%), separation from relatives who stayed in Ukraine (60%), fear for the lives of their families in Ukraine (41%), lack of adequate financial means for living (40%), and lack of proficiency in Polish (35%).
Employment
52% of the respondents were employed. 16% of the respondents were not employed due to childcare responsibilities. The majority of women worked in Poland (63%), while some worked remotely from Ukraine (23%) or another country (8%). Among the employed, only one-third had jobs that matched their qualifications.
In the group of non-employed respondents, every fourth respondent was actively seeking employment, and 36% had such intentions for the near future.
When asked about obstacles to employment, the respondents mainly indicated a language barrier (77%), low-paying jobs (50%), non-recognition of their diploma (41%), and underemployment (38%).
Social practices
In their current place of residence, female refugees most frequently participated in language courses (69%), cultural events (39%), support groups (31%), workplace integration events (28%), volunteering activities (28%).
Mental health
Among the surveyed group, 44% may have anxiety disorders, as measured by the GAD-7 scale. Symptoms of depression, diagnosed using the PHQ-9 scale, were exhibited by 45% of the respondents (moderate to moderately severe depression). A high level of stress, measured with the use of the PSS-10 scale, was experienced by 58% of the respondents. One-third of the respondents sought help from a psychologist. Importantly, the majority of surveyed women employed active strategies for coping with stress (68%) or sought advice and assistance from others (41%). Strategies focused on changing emotions by engaging in distracting activities were employed by 45% of the respondents, one-third found comfort in the thought that things could have been worse, one-fourth of respondents prayed, and one-fifth took tranquillizers.
The most burdensome factors for mental health among respondents include the inability to plan the future (75%), uncertainty stemming from the inability to foresee the end date of the war, lack of contact with family (51%), and lack of employment matching their qualifications (49%).
Plans for the future
42% of the respondents intend to return to Ukraine, whereas 47% plan to stay in Poland permanently or for some time. The female refugees were also asked what could make them return to Ukraine. The most frequently mentioned factors include the end of the war (67%), cessation of military operations and bombing raids (43%), well-paid jobs in Ukraine (38%), eradication of corruption (31%), love for Ukraine (31%), higher living standards in Ukraine (28%), and the desire to live and develop in Ukraine (27%).
Returning to Ukraine is hindered by the lack of conditions for safe living (80%), the lack of well-paid jobs in Ukraine (32%), the fact that the respondents have better living conditions in Poland (19%), and a job for which they receive remuneration (13%).
What changed between 2022 and 2023
Although the research was not panel-based, it may be treated as an example of tracking research, i.e., studying the same population at two different points in time.
Firstly, it was more difficult to persuade female refugees to participate in the research than a year earlier, which may be due to research fatigue, lack of time, and poor mental health.
Secondly, the research served as a replication of the previous study, and confirmed the main parameters of the refugees arriving in Poland in terms of their status, place of residence, and education. Just as in the initial research, our sample consisted mainly of representatives of the Ukrainian middle class.
Thirdly, forms of integration with Polish society have been observed. More refugees speak Polish, the vast majority live in rented apartments, they are more often employed, and they are more likely to intend to stay in Poland.
Fourthly, signs of mental health disorders and a deterioration of well-being among the refugees are evident, as confirmed by the conducted diagnosis (in the initial research, three-quarters (3/4) displayed PTSD symptoms, as measured by the RHS-15 scale). On the one hand, these are the effects of war trauma; on the other hand, these symptoms are influenced by the inability to plan, living in this sort of “in-between” time, and problems arising from the current life situation.
Translated by Wojciech Pyć
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