Trauma in Ukrainian refugees impacts the entire family

What is the mental health status among Ukrainian families that have fled to the Netherlands? Which factors help promote resilience? And how do women and children cope when part of the family has remained behind in Ukraine – such as fathers, brothers or husbands who are fighting at the front? Trudy Mooren, endowed Professor of ‘Family functioning following psychotrauma’ at Utrecht University, is setting out to find these answers in a study funded by Dynamics of Youth and ZonMw.

Families

Trudy Mooren has a great deal of experience with refugees who are dealing with trauma, thanks to her work as both a researcher and as a psychologist: “Refugees have been detached from their entire social infrastructure. Parents are often motivated to flee to another country because they want to give their children a better life. But doing so can mean major adjustments and struggles. Most of them don't end up in big houses in affluent neighbourhoods.” Mooren's research will focus on individual adults, children and adolescents, but also on nuclear families. “For refugees, the idea of family becomes very important. When you're in a strange land, the family is a unique group of people and the ones you are closest to. You share a common background in terms of language, culture and experiences. And in many cases, your family has been through all kinds of things together.”

When someone in a family experiences trauma, the entire family is affected

While families can be a source of support, family members can negatively affect one another as well. “When someone in a family experiences a trauma, the entire family is affected. If, for instance, a member of the family feels triggered in the supermarket, that could cause their partner or child to try to avoid such situations. That, in turn, could lead to isolation. Or a child could start to believe that they are to blame when their parent acts that way.” With Ukrainian refugees, the situation is quite specific: “A large number of women and children fled the country, but many men had to stay behind to fight in the army. As a result, many refugees are burdened by grave concerns and uncertainty about the future.”

Intergenerational transmission

Even when parents avoid talking about traumatic events, children can still be affected by this. “Some children create their own picture of traumatic events experienced by an older generation. Their conceptions are based on what they see on TV or social media. Or on the scarce information they've picked up from stories told by aunts or uncles. We call this ‘intergenerational transmission’. We don't know exactly how it works, but it can occur when parents or other family members experience traumatic events.”

Projectgroup

While the study was initiated as part of Utrecht University's youth theme, Dynamics of Youth, a broader project group has since been formed. “Researchers from the University of Amsterdam, VU Amsterdam, Leiden University and ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre are taking part. Now the GGD/GHOR has joined as well, and the initiative has gained support from professional associations for psychologists and the Ukrainian embassy. It is a fantastic consortium, which we hope will give us an extensive reach both for finding participants and sharing the results. I’m looking forward to the collaboration.”

We want to explore the needs of refugees and what municipalities might do to meet those needs.

In the research, Mooren will look at various factors that can positively or negatively affect mental health. This study aims to examine people at four points in time over a period of two years. We will look at their mental health and whether certain symptoms of stress are present, such as nightmares, difficulty concentrating or worrying more than they did before. We also want to know how people feel about their experiences, for instance if they were able to find a job quickly or attend school in the Netherlands. In doing so, by the way, we are thinking about the group of refugees as a whole. What might we learn from this situation and how can we improve conditions in the future, including for refugees from other countries? We want to explore the needs of refugees and what municipalities might do to meet those needs.”