Psychoemotional state and needs of internally displaced persons: challenges of integration and directions of support
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32540/2071-1476-2025-2-016Keywords:
internally displaced persons, psychoemotional state, needs, physical activity, physical education, sport, integration, supportAbstract
Introduction. The study of the psychoemotional state and needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is essential for developing effective support models that take into account the complexity of the issue and the multidimensionality of integration challenges in modern conditions. Purpose – to determine the peculiarities of the psychoemotional state and current needs of IDPs in Ukraine under wartime conditions, as well as to outline the main challenges of their integration and substantiate the directions of comprehensive support. Methods and organization of the research. The study was conducted based on an online survey of IDPs from various regions of Ukraine. The sample included 459 individuals (93,9% women) who had been in IDPstatus for at least three months. Results. The vast majority of respondents (93%) experience varying degrees of psychological tension, and more than a quarter show symptoms of emotional exhaustion or depressive state. The subjective feeling of safety among most IDPs remains low: only one-third feel safe, while more than 23% assess their situation as critically unsafe. The process of IDPs’integration into new communities is ongoing but incomplete: only 44,5% feel fully integrated, while almost half report partial integration. The presence of emotional ties to their previous place of residence and a high level of uncertainty about future plans (more than 30% undecided) call for a flexible state policy that combines support both for integration and for possible return. The key needs of IDPs remain housing and financial assistance (73.3% each), social support (49.6%), compensation for lost property (45.4%), employment, as well as medical and psychological care. Conclusion. To ensure a decent life for IDPs under wartime conditions, a comprehensive state and cross-sectoral strategy is needed, aimed at meeting the basic, psychological, and social needs of displaced persons, promoting the development of physical culture and sports as a means of supporting physical and mental health, as well as fostering long-term integration or facilitating return.
References
UNHCR. Majority of displaced Ukrainians plan or hope to return home as war hits 500 days mark [Internet]. UNHCR Ukraine; [update 2023 Jul 10; cited 2025 Aug 5]. Available from: https://www.unhcr.org/ua/en/majority-of-displaced-ukrainians-plan-or-hope-to-return-home-as-war-hits-500-days-mark.
IOM Ukraine. Ukraine – Otsinka umov dlya povernennya, informational bulletin – Round 7 (May–Mar 2024). Kyiv: IOM; 2024.
IOM Ukraine. Ukraine Internal Displacement Report, Round 15 (June–Dec 2023): General Population Survey [Internet]. Kyiv: IOM; [update 2024; cited 2025 Aug 5]. Available from: https://dtm.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl1461/files/reports/IOM_Gen%20Pop_R15_IDP_.pdf.
IOM Ukraine. Ukraine Internal Displacement Report, Round 15 – Needs Assessment Highlights, June–Dec 2023 [Internet]. Kyiv: IOM; [update 2024; cited 2025 Aug 5]. Available from: https://dtm.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl1461/files/reports/IOM_Gen%20Pop_R15_IDP_ENG-UKR_translation_v3.pdf.
Rizzi D, Ciuffo G, Landoni M, Mangiagalli M, Ionio C. Psychological and environmental factors influencing resilience among Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced persons: a systematic review of coping strategies and risk and protective factors. Front Psychol. 2023;14:1266125. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1266125.
Khailenko O, Bacon AM. Resilience, avoidant coping and post traumatic stress symptoms among female Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced people. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2024;70(6):1164-74.
Muradyan V, Chekhaviy A, Karbivnychyi A, Dushak O, Kalashnikova A, Yeshchenko O, et al. Mental health consequences of war-related displacement in Ukraine: findings from the Ukrainian Longitudinal Cohort on Mental Health (ULCMH). Psychiatry Res. 2023;325:115219.
Silove D, Ventevogel P, Rees S. The contemporary refugee crisis: an overview of mental health challenges. World Psychiatry. 2017;16(2):130-9. doi:10.1002/wps.20438.
Xu W, Pavlova I, Chen X, Petrytsa P, Graf Vlachy L, Zhang SX. Mental health symptoms and coping strategies among Ukrainians during the Russia Ukraine war in March 2022. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2023;69(4):957-66.
Bogic M, Njoku A, Priebe S. Long-term mental health of war-refugees: a systematic literature review. BMC Int Health Hum Rights. 2015;15:29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12914-015-0064-9.
Norris FH, Stevens SP, Pfefferbaum B, Wyche KF, Pfefferbaum RL. Community resilience as a metaphor, theory, set of capacities, and strategy for disaster readiness. Am J Community Psychol. 2008;41(1-2):127-50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-007-9156-6.
Analytical Center "Socioconsulting". Assessment of the needs of internally displaced persons in Kyiv region [Internet]. Kyiv; [update 2024; Oct–Nov cited 2025 Aug 5]. Available from: https://sociocon.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Zvit_Otsinka_potreb_VPO.pdf.
National Institute for Strategic Studies. Problems of internally displaced persons: housing and financial support — critical needs [Internet]. [update 2024; cited 2025 Aug 5]. Available from: https://niss.gov.ua/news/komentari-ekspertiv/vnutrishni-vymusheni-peremishchennya-obsyahy-problemy-ta-sposoby-yikh.
World Health Organization. Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Emergencies: What Should Humanitarian Health Actors Know? Geneva: WHO; 2021.
UNHCR. Integration of internally displaced persons: good practices and lessons learned. Geneva: UNHCR; 2022.
UNDP. Mental health in wartime: how UNDP supported NGOs are providing psychological aid to Ukrainians [Internet]. Kyiv: UNDP; [update 2023; cited 2025 Aug 5]. Available from: https://www.undp.org/ukraine/news/mental-health-wartime-how-undp-supported-ngos-are-providing-psychological-aid-to-ukrainians.
Migration Policy Institute Europe. What factors shape displaced Ukrainians’ decision to return to Ukraine? And how should European policymakers respond? [Internet]. Brussels: MPI Europe; [update 2024; Dec 18 cited 2025 Aug 5]. Available from: https://www.migrationpolicy.org.
Ukrainian Institute for Demographic Research, Libanova E, Pozniak O, et al. Vnutrishno peremishcheni osoby v Ukraini: namiry shchodo povernennia. Narodna Tvorchist ta Etnolohiya. 2018;2(372):55-63.
UNHCR. More than 75% of refugees plan to return to Ukraine – OUN report. UNHCR Ukraine; 2023 Jul 10.
DW. OON: cholist ochokuyuchykh povernutitsya v Ukrainu menshaie [Internet]. [update 2024; Mar 11 cited 2025 Aug 5].
Roshchyk I, Bilan Y, Krol V, Mishchuk H. Social integration of internally displaced persons in Ukraine: problems and challenges for governing local communities. Probl Perspect Manag. 2024;22(1):728-40.
Asanov AM, Asanov I, Buenstorf G. Mental health and stress level of Ukrainians seeking psychological help online. Heliyon. 2023;9(11):e21933. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21933.
Alpak G, Unal A, Bulbul F, Sagaltici E, Bez Y, Altindag A, et al. Post-traumatic stress disorder among Syrian refugees in Turkey: A cross-sectional study. Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract. 2015;19(1):45-50. https://doi.org/10.3109/13651501.2014.961930.
Maschi T, Baer J, Morrissey MB, Moreno C. The aftermath of childhood trauma on late life mental and physical health: a review of the literature. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2013;14(4):330-8.
Medellín L, Rodríguez L, Correa D. Psychological distress in internally displaced people in Colombia: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20:300.
Frontiers. Psychological and environmental factors influencing resilience among Ukrainian refugees and IDPs: a systematic review. Front Psychol. 2023;14:1266125. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1266125.
Reuters. With lives shattered by war, Ukrainian teens build new dreams [Internet]. [update 2024; Feb 23 cited 2025 Aug 5]. Available from: https://www.reuters.com.
Betts A, Bloom L, Kaplan J, Omata N. Refugee Economies: Rethinking Popular Assumptions. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2017.
Norwegian Refugee Council. Voices from displacement: Syria crisis response. Oslo: NRC; 2021.
Public Organization “Hromady”. Presentation of survey results on the needs of internally displaced persons [Internet]. [update 2024; Oct cited 2025 Aug 5]. Available from: https://surl.li/axhvkr.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright of the published papers and grant to the publisher the non-exclusive right to publish the article, to be cited as its original publisher in case of reuse, and to distribute it in all forms and media. Articles will be distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
Authors can enter the separate, additional contractual arrangements for non-exclusive distribution of the published paper (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
