Date of Award

Summer 2025

Language

English

Embargo Period

8-5-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

School of Social Welfare

Program

Social Welfare

First Advisor

Heather Larkin

Committee Members

Wonhyung Lee, Lindsey Disney, Calvin Streeter

Keywords

Ukrainian refugees, housing pathways, identity, belonging, mental health, place, gender, trauma, integration, resilience

Subject Categories

Gender and Sexuality | Migration Studies | Social Justice | Social Work

Abstract

Background: This dissertation examines the resettlement experiences of female Ukrainian refugees in Germany following the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, which displaced over 8.5 million Ukrainians, including 1.2 million to Germany by April 2024. Focusing on Munich, the study explores the interplay of housing pathways, identity, and belonging, emphasizing gendered challenges faced by women, particularly single mothers and caregivers, navigating trauma, systemic barriers, and cultural adaptation. Organized into three articles, this work employs a social justice lens to address structural barriers, such as discriminatory housing markets, economic exclusion, and limited access to resources, which disproportionately impact marginalized women, promoting inclusive integration policies. Feminist migration theory complements this lens by highlighting women’s agency and gendered constraints, deepening the analysis of fair and just resettlement. The first article, a scoping review, integrates diverse literature on place, identity, and mental health to map key trends and reveal critical research gaps. The second analyzes housing pathways and integration, while the third examines evolving perceptions of belonging and resilience within varied housing contexts.

Methods: The study employs a mixed-methods approach to provide a comprehensive analysis of the resettlement experiences of female Ukrainian refugees. The first article conducts a scoping review, guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) framework, systematically searching PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Sociological Abstracts using keywords such as “Ukrainian refugees,” “mental health,” “place attachment,” and “identity.” The review included 22 peer-reviewed and grey literature sources (e.g., policy briefs, NGO reports) published after February 2022, examining qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies to map trends and research gaps without requiring rigorous quality assessments, which is suitable for the emergent literature on this crisis. Articles Two and Three draw on semi-structured interviews conducted in 2024 with 33 Ukrainian women in Munich, purposively sampled for diversity in age and family status, and conducted in English with Russian translation support from a bilingual research assistant. A semi-structured interview guide was followed, incorporating open-ended and scaled questions, to explore sensitive topics such as housing pathways, belonging, and well-being. Data were analyzed using MAXQDA software, applying Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis to identify patterns in housing pathways, identity negotiation, and belonging, ensuring trustworthiness through iterative coding and validation.

Findings: The scoping review (Article 1) revealed that housing significantly influences the interplay between identity, place, and mental health among Ukrainian refugees. Stable housing, such as private apartments, fosters resilience and a sense of belonging by providing safety, autonomy, and opportunities for cultural preservation and community connection, thereby supporting identity formation. Precarious settings like refugee camps exacerbate psychological distress, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, disrupting the sense of place and identity. A key gap is the limited research on diverse subgroups, such as adolescents, ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ+ refugees. Article 2 identified four housing pathways: social network-driven (e.g., leveraging Ukrainian community connections through social media), locally assisted (e.g., volunteer support), market-based (e.g., navigating rentals amid discrimination), and institutional/constrained (e.g., government shelters lacking privacy). Success depended on language proficiency, education, and social connections, but was hindered by high rents and landlord biases. Article 3 highlighted resilience through cultural preservation (e.g., hosting Ukrainian events), the tensions in balancing heritage and integration, autonomy via stable housing, and the exacerbation of trauma in unstable settings. Feminist migration theory highlights women’s agency in navigating these pathways and tensions, despite the gendered barriers they face. The most significant finding is that stable housing is pivotal for fostering resilience, a sense of belonging, and mental health, serving as a foundation for integration and identity negotiation.

Conclusion: This dissertation demonstrates that stable housing is crucial for fostering resilience, a sense of belonging, and mental health among female Ukrainian refugees, laying the foundation for place-making and identity negotiation. Housing instability restricts access to employment and education, and deepens social exclusion, particularly for single mothers and older women facing childcare constraints and digital exclusion. The findings speak to the importance of gender-sensitive, trauma-informed policies, including subsidized housing for female-led households, language programs with childcare, and anti-discrimination measures to counter market biases. Community-driven initiatives, such as Ukrainian cultural hubs and peer-led support groups, can enhance cultural continuity and social capital, reducing isolation. Grounded in transnationalism, intersectionality, and feminist migration theories, the study contributes to social welfare scholarship by positioning housing as a human right and a determinant of equitable integration. Future research could include longitudinal studies to track long-term outcomes, comparative analyses of urban and rural settings, and participatory methods such as photovoice to amplify diverse voices, especially those of LGBTQ+ refugees, Roma, and unaccompanied minors, to inform the development of inclusive policies within a global displacement context.

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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