Labor market status (being inactive, unemployed, or employed) and psychosocial characteristics of Ukrainian refugees at their early stage of being refugees in two neighboring countries, Poland and Hungary.

backgroundRefugee status poses a significant burden on mental health, largely because of existential hardships. Moreover, mental health problems hinder access to employment. Supporting refugees' entry into the labor market is a common element of local integration policies and is shaped by structural conditions. However, beyond environmental and regulatory factors, individual variables-such as a willingness to accept any job (submissiveness) or caregiving responsibilities-also influence labor market participation.

methodsIn our study, which was conducted in late 2022 with 400 Ukrainian refugees in Poland and 407 in Hungary-at an early stage of their displacement-we applied a quantitative cross-sectional survey design with stratified sampling and a random-route procedure to obtain samples with features of representativeness.

resultsIn both samples, labor market participation was associated with lower depressive symptoms, and the proportion of active individuals was similar between the two samples. Submissiveness was not strongly or consistently correlated with depressive symptoms but was positively correlated with activity levels in both countries. Among the active individuals, the proportion of employed individuals-especially those with caregiving responsibilities-was greater in Poland. We attribute this to structural differences in family support and education characteristics. Our findings are interpreted through Elster's Rational Choice Theory, which explains behavior through perceived justification and individual preferences.

conclusionsThe study revealed a relationship between the labor market status of Ukrainian refugees residing in Poland or Hungary and their mental health, knowledge of support institutions, and submissiveness in the labor market. In both countries, refugees who were inactive were more likely to feel depressed. While in Hungary, awareness of support did not favor labor market participation, in Poland, the correlation between awareness of support and employed labor market status was positive. In Poland and Hungary, a high level of submissiveness was a factor that favored labor market participation, whereas having dependents functioned differently in the two countries. In contrast, in Poland, a high level of submissiveness was a positive factor of labor market participation, whereas in Hungary, it was a negative factor of having employed status.