PECULIARITIES OF SELF-CONCEPT AND SUBJECTIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL READINESS FOR MOTHERHOOD AMONG UKRAINIAN REFUGEE WOMEN IN THE CONTEXT OF MIGRATION

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study addressing a pressing issue triggered by the large wave of refugees from Ukraine caused by the Russian-Ukrainian war. Among them, the majority are refugee mothers who migrated with their children and found themselves in challenging circumstances, which may lead to transformations in their self-concept and maternal identity. The aim of this article is to investigate the peculiarities of self-concept and subjective psychological readiness for motherhood among Ukrainian refugee women in the context of migration, taking into account their experience of motherhood. The research methods include: theoretical analysis of scientific literature, methods of comparison and generalization, questionnaires, psychological testing, and statistical techniques (mean value analysis using Student's t-test and Pearson correlation analysis). The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that, for the first time, the specific features of subjective psychological readiness for motherhood among Ukrainian refugee women in migration conditions have been identified, in relation to the development of their self-concept, levels of stress resilience, and anxiety. The results of the study show that the subjective psychological readiness for motherhood among most Ukrainian refugee women is sufficiently developed. Even when some report feeling unprepared for motherhood, the majority do not lose the desire to care for their children, provide them with appropriate emotional support, and responsibly fulfill their maternal duties. However, a portion of the women lack internal resources to fully carry out their maternal roles under migration conditions. Most participants exhibit a high level of self-concept differentiation. Nevertheless, this indicator as well as the social, active, and reflective components of the self is significantly less pronounced among refugee women whose firstborn children are under the age of three, compared to those with children of various ages. The vast majority of women show a clearly expressed identification with the maternal role, along with a moderate level of stress resilience and a high level of personal anxiety. It was found that refugee women with firstborn children under three who strongly identify with the maternal role demonstrate betterdeveloped reflectivity and body image. However, those in this group with a strongly expressed active self show less awareness of their maternal role. In more experienced refugee mothers, the breadth of self-representations serves as a key factor in harmonizing various identities within the structure of the self-concept. Nonetheless, the awareness of their maternal identity does not significantly depend on their understanding of other aspects of the self, as their image of motherhood is already defined and stable. At the same time, women in this group who have a more pronounced awareness of their motherhood demonstrate lower stress resilience.