The last decade has seen a sharp incline in the number of war refugees globally. As a clinical psychologist and  PhD student, I aim to increase our understanding of the impact of forced migration and war-related exposures on mental health development. 

By utilizing longitudinal questionnaire data and registry-based data from the Danish Refugee Cohort (DARECO), my PhD project offers an opportunity to study mental health development in a representative sample of all Ukrainian refugees resettled in Denmark from February 2022 to July 2024 after the full-scale Russian Invasion.

My PhD-project contributes to the field by 1) describing changes in the characteristics of refugees who arrive in Denmark over time as the war progresses, 2) examining how many develop long-term debilitating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and how many recover or remain resilient, and 3) identifying characteristics within the first year of arrival that act as risk and protective factors for development of psychiatric disorders over time.

The project is supervised by Associate Professor Karen-Inge Karstoft. For additional information on the project and collaborators do not hesitate to contact me or see our project website.