Running Away from the War in Ukraine: The Impact on Mental Health of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Refugees in Transit in Poland
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Understanding War Induced Migration: Mental Health and Implications
1.2. A Family Approach: The Importance of Family as a Protective Factor to Enhance Resilience
- 1.
- Explore the mental health and well-being of Ukranian refugees and IDPs who experienced transit conditions;
- 2.
- Examine the association of mental health and well-being with refugees’ and IDPs’ transit conditions;
- 3.
- Explore the protective role of family in building resilience by being open and (re)examining the idea of family. Considering the literature on family and war, we focus on the “family” of refugees and internally displaced persons, which may be linked to the biological family or to new members considered as family.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
2.1.1. Sample of Ukrainian Refugees in the Transit Centre in Poland
2.1.2. Sample of Ukranian IDP’s in the Transit Centre in Lviv
2.2. Procedures
2.3. Measures
2.4. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. IDPs’ Mental Health and Related Themes
3.2. Refugees’ Mental Health and Related Themes
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Min | Max | Mean | SD | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Anxiety | 0 | 4 | 3.17 | 1.960 |
Anger | 0 | 4 | 1.99 | 1.434 |
Depression | 0 | 4 | 2.47 | 1.317 |
Sleep disturbances | 0 | 4 | 2.66 | 1.177 |
Coded Theme | Description of Theme | Example Quotations | Percentage Cover in Refugee Sample | Percentage Cover in IDP’s Sample |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nuclear Family Unit | Being closed to each other | “Being with my daughter”, “when I’m near my mom” | 31.8% | 13.9% |
Support Network | Friendships, romantic relationships, and other support relationships | “friends”; “the centre’s volunteers; “boyfriend”; “support from people” | 9.7% | 2.8% |
Religion | Having faith and hope | “Pray in Ukraine’s victory over Russia” | 13.9% | 4.3% |
Future | Envisioning and planning the future | “Knowing I have a plan”; “thinking about the future” | 6% | 0% |
Feeling safe | Be in a safe place | “Feeling safe here”; “not being bombed” | 4.3% | 0.9% |
Leisure activities: | Engaged in leisure activities | “movies”; “reading books” | 6% | 29.5% |
Helping/caring | Help and care about other people | “to help others”; “taking care of relatives” | 6% | 1.7% |
Meaning-making Communication | Talk about the war and give an explanation about it | “Explaining to my grandson why we went away” | 7.4% | 10.5% |
Coded Theme | Description of Theme | Example Quotations | Percentage Cover in Refugee Sample | Percentage Cover in IDP’s Sample |
---|---|---|---|---|
War | Triggers from war | “to see the missiles in Lviv”; “to hear sirens, go to the shelter”; “bomb” | 16.5% | 6.8% |
Health | Health of one’s own or loved ones’ | “son’s health” | 8.5% | 12.5% |
Travel | Uncertainty and condition of travel | “The journey to Sweden and the accommodation” | 4.3% | 0% |
Future | Uncertainty about the future | “I am worried about the future, whether I will find somewhere to go and whether I will find a job” | 26.4% | 11.4% |
Feelings | Expressing of negative emotions | “tension”; “anxiety, fears”; “irritability”; “when my mum cries” | 7.4% | 0% |
Min | Max | Mean | SD | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Anxiety | 0 | 4 | 2.39 | 1.205 |
Anger | 0 | 4 | 1.57 | 1.454 |
Depression | 0 | 4 | 2.64 | 1.263 |
Sleep disturbances | 0 | 4 | 2.52 | 1.004 |
Mental Health Dimensions | Sample | Mean | Standard Deviation | T | Sign. | gl |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sleep disturbances | Refugees | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.592 | 0.112 | 513.363 |
IDPs | 2.6 | 1.1 | ||||
Anger | Refugees | 1.5 | 1.4 | 3.511 | 0.000482 | 562.936 |
IDPs | 1.9 | 1.4 | ||||
Anxiety | Refugees | 2.3 | 1.2 | 5.701 | 0.00000000228 | 406.671 |
IDPs | 3.1 | 1.9 | ||||
Depression | Refugees | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.620 | 0.106 | 547.447 |
IDPs | 2.4 | 1.3 |
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Rizzi, D.; Ciuffo, G.; Sandoli, G.; Mangiagalli, M.; de Angelis, P.; Scavuzzo, G.; Nych, M.; Landoni, M.; Ionio, C. Running Away from the War in Ukraine: The Impact on Mental Health of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Refugees in Transit in Poland. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 16439. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416439
Rizzi D, Ciuffo G, Sandoli G, Mangiagalli M, de Angelis P, Scavuzzo G, Nych M, Landoni M, Ionio C. Running Away from the War in Ukraine: The Impact on Mental Health of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Refugees in Transit in Poland. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(24):16439. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416439
Chicago/Turabian StyleRizzi, Damiano, Giulia Ciuffo, Giulia Sandoli, Matteo Mangiagalli, Pietro de Angelis, Gioele Scavuzzo, Mariana Nych, Marta Landoni, and Chiara Ionio. 2022. "Running Away from the War in Ukraine: The Impact on Mental Health of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Refugees in Transit in Poland" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 24: 16439. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416439