Background. The global refugee crisis creates a significant number of problems related to the need to solve political, economic, social, psychological and other issues of organizing the life of forced migrants. The most acute among them are the psychological consequences of forced displacement, which have a negative impact on the subjective well-being, mental health, emotional state and other areas of mental life of the least protected category of refugees – children.
The aim of study. Generalization and systematization of Russian and foreign experience in studying the psychological problems of refugee children, including those left without parental care and adopted into a new family.
Methods. This study is based on a theoretical comparative psychological analysis of Russian and foreign research, the subject of which includes the study of problems in the psychology of refugees.
Results. In the course of the study, typical psychological problems that arise for refugees in situations of forced relocation were generalized and systematized - adaptation disorders, emotional disorders, the development of stressful conditions, irreversible personal changes, etc. A variety of forms and methods of psychological assistance to refugees, including educational and cultural integration, was shown, individual, group, cognitive-behavioral and other types of psychotherapeutic assistance. It is argued that while there is an understanding of the importance of family as a factor in the psychological well-being of refugee children, the amount of research into the problem of host families is clearly disproportionate to the growing number of refugees.
Conclusion. Summarizing the results obtained, the authors formulate the main idea that the host family should be considered as a subject of providing psychological assistance to refugee children in solving typical problems of emotional, personal, behavioral, communicative and other spheres of their life. The successful solution of this problem directly depends on the systematic work of the scientific community to assess the psychological problems of refugee children, the development of adaptive, developmental, correctional and other programs for psychological support of forced migrants.