Resilience, avoidant coping and post-traumatic stress symptoms among female Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced people

Background: Since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, over 10 million Ukrainians have been displaced from their homes. This has contributed to an increase in post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms in both refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Previous research has suggested that refugees may experience higher levels of PTS due to additional stressors inherent in migration to a new country, language barriers and separation from family and social support. PTS symptoms may also be exacerbated by avoidant coping which we proposed would be more prevalent amongst refugees because of the isolating effects of migration-related stressors. Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between PTS symptoms, resilience and avoidant coping in refugees and IDPs. We predicted that refugees would report higher levels of PTS symptoms and use of avoidant coping strategies, and that avoidant coping would mediate the effect of resilience on PTS symptoms. We tested a moderated mediation model to examine whether this effect differed between IDPs and refugees. Methods: A total of 229 women (108 IDPs and 121 refugees), who were displaced after the full-scale invasion, were recruited using online platforms and volunteering centres. They completed an online questionnaire comprising measures of PTS, resilience and coping. Results: We found no significant differences in resilience, PTS symptoms or reported use of avoidance coping strategies between refugees and IDPs. As expected, avoidance coping mediated the negative association between resilience and PTS symptoms, but no group differences in this effect were observed. Conclusions: Contrary to previous research, our findings indicate that PTS symptoms may be similarly problematic for refugees and IDPs. This may be due to increased time since the invasion as many refugees may have had time to adjust. Use of avoidant coping strategies may exacerbate PTS symptoms and our study highlights the need for mental health interventions aimed at reducing PTS symptoms in Ukrainian IDPs and refugees through fostering resilience and adaptive coping strategies.