EARLY MALADAPTIVE SCHEMAS AND COPING MODES IN UKRAINIAN FEMALE REFUGEES: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY WITHIN THE SCHEMA-THERAPY FRAMEWORK

Abstract

Since February 2022, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has triggered the largest displacement crisis in Europe since World War II. Millions of Ukrainians–disproportionately women–have fled their homes, often after prolonged exposure to shelling, loss, and chronic uncertainty. Such conditions undermine emotional stability and create fertile ground for longterm psychological difficulties We invited two groups of adult Ukrainian female refugees: 32 who had already sought psychological help and 30 who had not. The participants completed Ukrainian versions of two standard questionnaires: the Young Schema Questionnaire, which measures negative belief patterns, and the Schema Mode Inventory, which captures moment-to-moment emotional states known as schema modes. We compared the groups with established statistical tests.Women who had sought help scored significantly higher on 11 of the 18 negative belief patterns, including Emotional Deprivation, Abandonment, Mistrust/Abuse, and Unrelenting Standards. They also showed stronger “child” and “punitive parent” modes, reflecting feelings of vulnerability and severe self-criticism. By contrast, women who had not sought help displayed a stronger adaptive Healthy Adult mode, indicating greater emotional resilience.The study suggests that war-related displacement reactivates old, unhelpful beliefs about the self and others, leaving refugee women emotionally vulnerable and self-critical. The find-ings highlight the need for schema-focused therapy that helps clients strengthen their Healthy Adult part, meet core emotional needs for safety, love, and autonomy, and reduce perfectionistic and punitive self-attitudes. Such work can make psychological support programs for refugees more effective and targeted.