Family Resilience in the Conditions of a Long War in Ukraine

The purpose of this study is to determine the importance of family resilience for ensuring the vital activity of Ukrainian society in the conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and the challenges / risks to its further development in the event of a protracted war and in the post-war period. The study is based on information from open sources, data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the Department of State Registration of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, expert assessments, and materials from sample surveys. The methods of comparative analysis, generalization and induction, survey, and systematic approach were used. Family resilience is its natural ability to adapt, self-organize in crisis conditions, and the ability to preserve the essence of family ties/relationships when changing their form, changing ec onomic, social, and security conditions of existence. In periods of severe extreme trials (epidemics, war, acute economic crises), the family, as a basic institution that combines stability and flexibility, plays an important role in the mechanism of self-preservation of the population: solidarity between generations, mutual assistance, and the exchange of financial and material resources are the key to the further reproduction of the country’s population. During the three years of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, the family demonstrated stability, adaptability, flexibility, that is, a high level of resilience: this is evidenced by widespread practices of family solidarity and mutual assistance, active adoption and taking into custody/guardianship of children who were left without parents due to military aggression, and a fairly high level of marriageability of the population. Marital and family ties are extremely important for the stability demonstrated by the country’s citizens during this difficult period. At the same time, in conditions of a protracted war, numerous risks and problems (primarily a decrease in marriage and reproductive potential, aggravation of gender problems, an increase in the number of divorces, the spread of domestic violence, and frequent cases of children from socially disadvantaged families being transferred to boarding schools) are a significant challenge for the resilience of the Ukrainian family and for the entire society. Therefore, a comprehensive, scientifically based state family policy aimed at solving problems in this area and creating conditions for the full implementation of the demographic and social functions of the family is extremely important.