The Roles of Leisure in Trauma Coping Among Ukrainian War Refugees in Poland

The Russian invasion of Ukraine gave rise to an unprecedented refugee crisis. The objective of this paper was to explore the roles of leisure in helping Ukrainian refugees who had settled in Poland to cope with war trauma. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) coping framework was used to structure the findings of this study. Data were collected using 21 in-depth interviews with Ukrainian refugees who had arrived in Poland after February 24, 2022. The findings showed that refugees engaged in emotion-focused coping, such as checking Ukrainian news and staying in touch with family and friends, obtaining emotional solace through contacts with other Ukrainians, their Polish host families, and the welcoming community, and using leisure for distraction. Refugees also employed problem-focused coping, such as using leisure to build a sense of belonging, provide a sense of continuity, learn about the new environment, and help with the war effort.