The role of perceived social support in the psychological well-being of forced migrants

Context and relevance. The multiple consequences of forced migration lead to the need for a comprehensive study of the factors of psychological well-being of migrants.
Objective. To assess the relationship between psychological well-being and perceived social support (PSS) among forced migrants.
Hypothesis. PSS is significantly related to such well-being components as positive emotions and relationships.
Methods and materials. 75 women (23,5 ± 10,0) and 125 men (20,5 ± 5,2) participated in the study. Two extreme groups (each N = 51) were identified based on PSS level. We used a short version of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (Lovibond, Lovibond, 1995), Modified Dembo-Rubinstein Method (Shaigerova et al., 2019), Subjective Life Satisfaction Scale (Cantril, 1965), Modified Semantic Differential Method (Molchanov, Almazova, Pоskrebysheva, 2023), Intersectional day–to–day discrimination Index (Scheim, Bauer, 2019), UCLA Loneliness Scale-3 (Russell, 1996), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988), Subjective Effectiveness of Various Coping Strategies in Daily Life (Shaigerova et al., 2024), Frequency of Seeking Help from Various Categories of People (Ushkov et al., 2020).
Results. Respondents with high PSS were more likely to seek help from close individuals, relied on a wider range of coping strategies, and demonstrated better indicators of emotional state and self-esteem. Participants with a low PSS were more likely to seek help from members of a "secondary support group", relied on maladaptive coping strategies. An interaction effect between gender and PSS was found in subjective effectiveness of certain coping strategies.
Conclusions. PSS level is related to components of psychological well-being among forced migrants, which is essential in developing programs for adaptation and resocialization in a new sociocultural environment.

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