Rethinking forced migrants’ mental health and well-being : lessons from Ukraine five years after the initial displacement

Mormitsu Reo; Akerkar, Supriya

Journal Article

Rethinking forced migrants’ mental health and well-being : lessons from Ukraine five years after the initial displacement

Abstract

From the case study of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ukraine, we draw attention to the potentially positive aspects of displacement experience, whilst previous work predominantly focused on the negative psychological consequences of forced migration. Positive changes, known as posttraumatic growth (PTG), were commonly reported among the IDPs 5 years after their initial displacement. Two predictors for growth were found in this study: reframing of experience and perceived social support during displacement. The study suggests that it would be meaningful if current practitioners create spaces for displaced individuals to promote their reinterpretation capacity of their experiences as well as providing practical support to promote their psychosocial well-being.