Ukrainian refugees’ adaptation to and integration with new societies and communities in the context of migration policy management
Ukrainian refugees’ adaptation to and integration with new societies and communities in the context of migration policy management

Summary/Abstract: The military intervention by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine in February 2022 precipitated a notable surge in the migration flows of Ukrainian refugees. The aim of the study presented in this article is to assess the conditions of Ukrainian refugees’ adaptation to new places of residence and the integration challenges they faced in the first year of the war, especially in the context of their mental health. The additional aim is to formulate recommendations for guiding migration policies in both Ukraine and host countries. The study used both the direct and indirect methods of evaluation, the former on the basis of data from international organisations, and the latter on the basis of the results of a survey administered by the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and University of Bremen among the forced migrants, which focused on the factors causing most serious problems in the process of their adaptation and integration. The survey, in the form of a Google questionnaire, was placed on several online social platforms, namely Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and on the sites of humanitarian institutions taking care of Ukrainian refugees – both those who migrated abroad and those who changed their place of residence within Ukraine. The period when the questionnaire was carried out spanned December 2022–March 2023. The results of the study attest to the need of a holistic approach to migration policy that would recognise the interconnectedness of the financial, social, educational and psychological factors. The recommendations formulated on the basis of these results might contribute to improving the EU migration policy, especially to expediting financial aid programs, educational initiatives and business support.

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