Mental Health and Psychosocial Adjustment in Ukrainian Refugee Children in Romania

Abstract

In the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, over 6.6 million people have sought refuge in Europe, with more than 1.6 million Ukrainians having arrived in Romania since the beginning of the conflict. Among them, approximately 83,748 individuals are still in the country, of which 30% are children (UNICEF, 2023). The exposure of children to war and military aggression can be viewed as a violation of their fundamental human rights. The impact of war and displacement can have negative consequences on young people, given that this stage is crucial for their physical, mental, and neural growth. Because of the distinct developmental phase they are in, children who are refugees of war are more vulnerable to experiencing psychological disorders. Within the context of forced migration, child refugees frequently encounter challenges related to isolation, community fragmentation, and cultural displacement. These circumstances often create substantial obstacles for children and young people seeking access to healthcare and mental health services. These hurdles encompass language barriers, mental health stigma, cultural beliefs surrounding mental well-being, and healthcare professionals lacking the necessary skills to effectively engage across diverse cultural contexts. Children and adolescents who have suffered significant war-related trauma may be handling these experiences in ways that complicate or impact their current self-image or their views of others and the surrounding world. 

This research aims to investigate the occurrence of mental health problems that interfere with social adaptation among young refugees who have recently resettled from Ukraine to Romania, in the municipality of Cluj-Napoca. The research data will be collected using the APS-SF tool for assessing psychopathology and problems interfering with psychosocial adjustment in adolescents aged 12-18 years and the Decision-Making Capacity Test that measures decision-making ability i.e. the ability to choose rationally between several available alternatives. The research targets 19 Ukrainian children and adolescents who are currently refugees in Cluj-Napoca, aged between 12 and 18 years old.