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Ukrainian war migrants in Poland: lives of the adolescents and their mothers

stmm. 2024 (4): 51-84

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2024.04.051

Full text:

SVITLANA SHEVCHENKO, Candidate of Sciences in Sociology, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Social Physiology, Institute of Sociology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (12, Shovkovychna St., Kyiv, 01021)

svetls@ukr.net

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6369-9096

The article describes the methodology and results of the author's qualitative study of Ukrainian war migrants in Poland two years after the start of the full-scale war. Target group: adolescents aged 14-18 and their mothers who left for Poland after the invasion and now live in Warsaw. 12 families (12 mothers and 13 of their children) were analyzed by the face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interview method (N = 25). The term of the study is January-March 2024. The main limitation of the study is the shift towards more prosperous families because it was difficult to involve in the study those who have a difficult life situation and / or a very traumatic experience. The guides of the interviews with women and adolescents were basically the same, except that the topic of “work” in the interviews with the women was replaced by the topic of “education” in the conversations with the adolescents. The conducted research made it possible to supplement the existing data and to improve the understanding of the life path of Ukrainian war migrants in Poland. A little more than half of the women are married at the time of the study; in a quarter of the families the husband is also in Poland. Every third family is in the state of a divided family, when the woman with her children (child) is in Poland, and the husband is in Ukraine. A sixth of the families divorced in the period after leaving. For the majority, Poland became the country of first choice when they were fleeing the war in the spring of 2022. After two years, almost all women are surrounded by Ukrainians, social ties with Poles are weak, and integration is practically non-existent. On the other hand, integration through education is more successful among adolescents, they are able to establish social ties with Polish peers (with the exception of those who plan to return to Ukraine in the near future). Intentions to return, as well as social expectations, differ greatly between women and adolescents. Also, the factors promoting adaptation and barriers to it turned out to be different.

Keywords: adaptation, war, women, integration, migration, expectations, adolescents

References

  1. Baszczak, Ł., Kiełczewska, A., Kukołowicz, P., Wincewicz, A., Zyzik, R. (2022). Pomoc polskiego społeczeństwa dla uchodźców z Ukrainy. Warszawa: Polski Instytut Ekonomiczny.

  2. Bergnehr, D. (2018). Children's influence on wellbeing and acculturative stress in refugee families. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2018.1564517

  3. Berry, J.W. (2007). Acculturation strategies and adaptation. In: J.E. Lansford, K. Deater-Deckard, M.H. Bornstein (Eds.), Immigrant families in contemporary society (pp. 69-82). The Guilford Press.

  4. Burliai, A., Demianchuk, M., Burliai, O. (2023). Unintended transnationalism of Ukrainian military migrants in Poland: Socio-cultural aspect. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 21(2), 426-438. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.21(2).2023.40

  5. Duszczyk, M., Górny, A., Kaczmarczyk, P., Kubisiak, A. (2023). War refugees from Ukraine in Poland - one year after the Russian aggression. Socioeconomic consequences and challenges. Regional Science Policy & Practice, 15(1), 181-199. https://doi.org/10.1111/rsp3.12642

  6. Grabowska, I., Jastrzebowska, A., Kyliushyk, I. (2023). Resilience embedded in psychological capital of Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Migration Letters, 20(3), 421-30. https://doi.org/10.47059/ml.v20i3.2887

  7. Granovetter, M. (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78, 1360-1380. https://doi.org/10.1086/225469

  8. Husbands, S., Mitchell, P., Kinghorn, P., Byford, S., Bailey, C., Anand, P., Peters, T., Floredin, I., Coast, J. (2024). Is well-becoming important for children and young people? Evidence from in-depth interviews with children and young people and their parents. Quality of Life Research, 33, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-023-03585-w

  9. Kubiciel-Lodzińska, S., Kownacka, K. (2023). War migrants from Ukraine. Poles' opinions on their stay and the extent of assistance. Political Science Studies, 68.

  10. Kubiciel-Lodzińska, S., Golebiowska, K., Pachocka, M., Dąbrowska, A. (2024). Comparing pre-war and forced Ukrainian migrants in Poland: Challenges for the labour market and prospects for integration. International Migration, 62, 236-251. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13213

  11. Kuzmuk, O. (2024). Ukrainian refugee women's experiences in Poland in the first months of Russian invasion: a qualitative account. European Societies, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616696.2024.2351595

  12. Lansford, J.E., Zietz, S., Al-Hassan, S.M., Bacchini, D., Bornstein, M.H., Lei Chang, Deater-Deckard, K., Di Giunta, L., Dodge, K.A., Gurdal, S. et al. (2021). Culture and Social Change in Mothers' and Fathers' Individualism, Collectivism and Parenting Attitudes. Social Sciences, 10, 459. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10120459

  13. Lives on Hold: Profiles and Intentions of Refugees from Ukraine. (2022). UNHCR Regional Intentions Report. [July 2022]. UNHCR Regional Bureau for Europe. Retrieved from: https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/94176

  14. Lives on Hold: Intentions and Perspectives of refugees from Ukraine. (2022). UNHCR Regional Intentions Report # 2. [September 2022]. Regional Bureau for Europe. Retrieved from: https://reporting.unhcr.org/europe-lives-hold-intentions-and-perspectives-refugees-ukraine

  15. Lives on Hold: Intentions and Perspectives of Refugees from Ukraine. (2023). UNHCR Regional Intentions Report #3. [September 2022]. Regional Bureau for Europe. Retrieved from: https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/99072

  16. Lives on Hold: Intentions and Perspectives of Refugees and IDPs from Ukraine. (2023). UNHCR Regional Intentions Report #4. [July 2023]. Regional Bureau for Europe. Retrieved from: https://reporting.unhcr.org/ukraine-lives-hold-intentions-and-perspectives-refugees-and-idps

  17. Lives on hold: Intentions and Perspectives of Refugees, Refugee Returnees and IDPs from Ukraine. (2024). UNHCR Regional Intentions Report #5. [Summary Findings, February 2024]. Regional Bureau for Europe. Retrieved from: https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/106738

  18. Łuczaj, K. (2024). Terapeutyczny Wymiar Wywiadu Socjologicznego: Praktyka Badawcza w kontekście Wyzwań Etycznych. Studia Socjologiczne, 1(252), 81-105. https://doi.org/10.24425/sts.2024.149317

  19. Niedźwiecka-Iwańczak, N. (2023). Insiders or strangers? "Studies on antagonism to strangers" by Florian Znaniecki as a framework for analysing attitudes towards war migrants from Ukraine on the basis of survey data and observations of Ukrainian signs in the landscape of Wrocław. Political Science Studies, 68.

  20. Oviedo, L., Seryczyńska, B., Torralba, J., Roszak, P., Del Angel, J., Vyshynska, O., Muzychuk, I., Churpita, S. (2022). Coping and Resilience Strategies among Ukraine War Refugees. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 13094. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013094

  21. Shevchenko, S. (2022). Report on The Research Concerning Relationships in Ukrainian Married Couples. Prepared for UNFPA by Ipsos in Ukraine. [In Ukrainian]. Retrieved from: https://ukraine.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/postorinkovo_3_doslidzhennya_stosunkiv_v_ukrainskyh_podruzhnih_parah_1.pdf

  22. Szczegółowe statystyki dot. osób zarejestrowanych w rejestrze obywateli Ukrainy i członków ich rodzin, którym nadano status cudzoziemca na podstawie specustawy. Stan na 13.08.2024 r. (2024). Retrieved from: https://dane.gov.pl/pl/dataset/2715,zarejestrowane-wnioski-o-nadanie-statusu-ukr/resource/60089/table

  23. Sytuacja życiowa i ekonomiczna migrantów z Ukrainy w Polsce - wpływ pandemii i wojny na charakter migracji w Polsce. Raport z badania ankietowego. (2023). Retrieved from: https://nbp.pl/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sytuacja-zyciowa-i-ekonomiczna-migrantow-z-Ukrainy-w-Polsce_raport-z-badania-2022-r.pdf

  24. Titzmann, P.F., Gniewosz, B. (2018). With a little help from my child: A dyad approach to immigrant mothers' and adolescents' socio-cultural adaptation. Journal of Adolescence, 62, 198-206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.04.005

  25. Valdimarsdóttir, U. (2023). Mental and physical health outcomes of war migrants. European Psychiatry, 66. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.26

  26. Wiśniewski, R., Szejgiec-Kolenda, B., Duma, P., Maruniak, E., Komornicki, T. (2024). Refugees from Ukraine in Poland - Differentiation of spatial distribution and impact on demographic structures. Population, Space and Place, 30, e2748. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2748

Received 09.09.2024

Ukrainian war migrants in Poland: lives of the adolescents and their mothers

stmm. 2024 (4): 51-84

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2024.04.051

Full text:

SVITLANA SHEVCHENKO, Candidate of Sciences in Sociology, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Social Physiology, Institute of Sociology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (12, Shovkovychna St., Kyiv, 01021)

svetls@ukr.net

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6369-9096

The article describes the methodology and results of the author's qualitative study of Ukrainian war migrants in Poland two years after the start of the full-scale war. Target group: adolescents aged 14-18 and their mothers who left for Poland after the invasion and now live in Warsaw. 12 families (12 mothers and 13 of their children) were analyzed by the face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interview method (N = 25). The term of the study is January-March 2024. The main limitation of the study is the shift towards more prosperous families because it was difficult to involve in the study those who have a difficult life situation and / or a very traumatic experience. The guides of the interviews with women and adolescents were basically the same, except that the topic of “work” in the interviews with the women was replaced by the topic of “education” in the conversations with the adolescents. The conducted research made it possible to supplement the existing data and to improve the understanding of the life path of Ukrainian war migrants in Poland. A little more than half of the women are married at the time of the study; in a quarter of the families the husband is also in Poland. Every third family is in the state of a divided family, when the woman with her children (child) is in Poland, and the husband is in Ukraine. A sixth of the families divorced in the period after leaving. For the majority, Poland became the country of first choice when they were fleeing the war in the spring of 2022. After two years, almost all women are surrounded by Ukrainians, social ties with Poles are weak, and integration is practically non-existent. On the other hand, integration through education is more successful among adolescents, they are able to establish social ties with Polish peers (with the exception of those who plan to return to Ukraine in the near future). Intentions to return, as well as social expectations, differ greatly between women and adolescents. Also, the factors promoting adaptation and barriers to it turned out to be different.

Keywords: adaptation, war, women, integration, migration, expectations, adolescents

References

  1. Baszczak, Ł., Kiełczewska, A., Kukołowicz, P., Wincewicz, A., Zyzik, R. (2022). Pomoc polskiego społeczeństwa dla uchodźców z Ukrainy. Warszawa: Polski Instytut Ekonomiczny.

  2. Bergnehr, D. (2018). Children's influence on wellbeing and acculturative stress in refugee families. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2018.1564517

  3. Berry, J.W. (2007). Acculturation strategies and adaptation. In: J.E. Lansford, K. Deater-Deckard, M.H. Bornstein (Eds.), Immigrant families in contemporary society (pp. 69-82). The Guilford Press.

  4. Burliai, A., Demianchuk, M., Burliai, O. (2023). Unintended transnationalism of Ukrainian military migrants in Poland: Socio-cultural aspect. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 21(2), 426-438. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.21(2).2023.40

  5. Duszczyk, M., Górny, A., Kaczmarczyk, P., Kubisiak, A. (2023). War refugees from Ukraine in Poland - one year after the Russian aggression. Socioeconomic consequences and challenges. Regional Science Policy & Practice, 15(1), 181-199. https://doi.org/10.1111/rsp3.12642

  6. Grabowska, I., Jastrzebowska, A., Kyliushyk, I. (2023). Resilience embedded in psychological capital of Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Migration Letters, 20(3), 421-30. https://doi.org/10.47059/ml.v20i3.2887

  7. Granovetter, M. (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78, 1360-1380. https://doi.org/10.1086/225469

  8. Husbands, S., Mitchell, P., Kinghorn, P., Byford, S., Bailey, C., Anand, P., Peters, T., Floredin, I., Coast, J. (2024). Is well-becoming important for children and young people? Evidence from in-depth interviews with children and young people and their parents. Quality of Life Research, 33, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-023-03585-w

  9. Kubiciel-Lodzińska, S., Kownacka, K. (2023). War migrants from Ukraine. Poles' opinions on their stay and the extent of assistance. Political Science Studies, 68.

  10. Kubiciel-Lodzińska, S., Golebiowska, K., Pachocka, M., Dąbrowska, A. (2024). Comparing pre-war and forced Ukrainian migrants in Poland: Challenges for the labour market and prospects for integration. International Migration, 62, 236-251. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13213

  11. Kuzmuk, O. (2024). Ukrainian refugee women's experiences in Poland in the first months of Russian invasion: a qualitative account. European Societies, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616696.2024.2351595

  12. Lansford, J.E., Zietz, S., Al-Hassan, S.M., Bacchini, D., Bornstein, M.H., Lei Chang, Deater-Deckard, K., Di Giunta, L., Dodge, K.A., Gurdal, S. et al. (2021). Culture and Social Change in Mothers' and Fathers' Individualism, Collectivism and Parenting Attitudes. Social Sciences, 10, 459. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10120459

  13. Lives on Hold: Profiles and Intentions of Refugees from Ukraine. (2022). UNHCR Regional Intentions Report. [July 2022]. UNHCR Regional Bureau for Europe. Retrieved from: https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/94176

  14. Lives on Hold: Intentions and Perspectives of refugees from Ukraine. (2022). UNHCR Regional Intentions Report # 2. [September 2022]. Regional Bureau for Europe. Retrieved from: https://reporting.unhcr.org/europe-lives-hold-intentions-and-perspectives-refugees-ukraine

  15. Lives on Hold: Intentions and Perspectives of Refugees from Ukraine. (2023). UNHCR Regional Intentions Report #3. [September 2022]. Regional Bureau for Europe. Retrieved from: https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/99072

  16. Lives on Hold: Intentions and Perspectives of Refugees and IDPs from Ukraine. (2023). UNHCR Regional Intentions Report #4. [July 2023]. Regional Bureau for Europe. Retrieved from: https://reporting.unhcr.org/ukraine-lives-hold-intentions-and-perspectives-refugees-and-idps

  17. Lives on hold: Intentions and Perspectives of Refugees, Refugee Returnees and IDPs from Ukraine. (2024). UNHCR Regional Intentions Report #5. [Summary Findings, February 2024]. Regional Bureau for Europe. Retrieved from: https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/106738

  18. Łuczaj, K. (2024). Terapeutyczny Wymiar Wywiadu Socjologicznego: Praktyka Badawcza w kontekście Wyzwań Etycznych. Studia Socjologiczne, 1(252), 81-105. https://doi.org/10.24425/sts.2024.149317

  19. Niedźwiecka-Iwańczak, N. (2023). Insiders or strangers? "Studies on antagonism to strangers" by Florian Znaniecki as a framework for analysing attitudes towards war migrants from Ukraine on the basis of survey data and observations of Ukrainian signs in the landscape of Wrocław. Political Science Studies, 68.

  20. Oviedo, L., Seryczyńska, B., Torralba, J., Roszak, P., Del Angel, J., Vyshynska, O., Muzychuk, I., Churpita, S. (2022). Coping and Resilience Strategies among Ukraine War Refugees. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 13094. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013094

  21. Shevchenko, S. (2022). Report on The Research Concerning Relationships in Ukrainian Married Couples. Prepared for UNFPA by Ipsos in Ukraine. [In Ukrainian]. Retrieved from: https://ukraine.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/postorinkovo_3_doslidzhennya_stosunkiv_v_ukrainskyh_podruzhnih_parah_1.pdf

  22. Szczegółowe statystyki dot. osób zarejestrowanych w rejestrze obywateli Ukrainy i członków ich rodzin, którym nadano status cudzoziemca na podstawie specustawy. Stan na 13.08.2024 r. (2024). Retrieved from: https://dane.gov.pl/pl/dataset/2715,zarejestrowane-wnioski-o-nadanie-statusu-ukr/resource/60089/table

  23. Sytuacja życiowa i ekonomiczna migrantów z Ukrainy w Polsce - wpływ pandemii i wojny na charakter migracji w Polsce. Raport z badania ankietowego. (2023). Retrieved from: https://nbp.pl/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sytuacja-zyciowa-i-ekonomiczna-migrantow-z-Ukrainy-w-Polsce_raport-z-badania-2022-r.pdf

  24. Titzmann, P.F., Gniewosz, B. (2018). With a little help from my child: A dyad approach to immigrant mothers' and adolescents' socio-cultural adaptation. Journal of Adolescence, 62, 198-206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.04.005

  25. Valdimarsdóttir, U. (2023). Mental and physical health outcomes of war migrants. European Psychiatry, 66. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.26

  26. Wiśniewski, R., Szejgiec-Kolenda, B., Duma, P., Maruniak, E., Komornicki, T. (2024). Refugees from Ukraine in Poland - Differentiation of spatial distribution and impact on demographic structures. Population, Space and Place, 30, e2748. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2748

Received 09.09.2024

LATEST PRINTED ISSUE

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