The aim of the study was to examine the specific features of the relationship between meaning-of-life orientations and adaptation of forced migrants at different stages of adulthood. The problem of adaptation of forced migrants during adulthood is of acute social significance. The relevance of the study is determined by the key role of the personal meaning-making sphere in situations of coping with various life crises. Methods. The adaptation of forced migrants was assessed using the following instruments: the Brief Psychological Adaptation Scale and the Brief Sociocultural Adaptation Scale by K. Demes and N. Geeraert (adapted by K.A. Ooki and I.V. Vachkov), and the Personality Adaptation to a New Sociocultural Environment Questionnaire by L.V. Yankovsky. Meaning-of-life orientations were examined using the Life-Purpose Orientations test by D.A. Leontiev. The sample comprised 246 adult respondents with the legal status of "forced migrants," including 85 young adults, 82 middle-aged adults, and 79 older adults. Results. The study identified age-specific patterns in the relationships between meaning-of-life orientations and adaptation components among forced migrants. In young adulthood, sociocultural adaptation was associated with meaningfulness of life, the presence of goals, and satisfaction with past experience. Psychological adaptation correlated with an internal locus of control regarding the self, while the effectiveness of adaptive strategies correlated with an internal locus of control regarding life in general. In middle adulthood, meaningfulness of life was related to both psychological and sociocultural adaptation. The presence of goals correlated with psychological adaptation and the effectiveness of coping strategies. In older adulthood, meaningfulness of life was associated with sociocultural adaptation and its effectiveness. The effectiveness of adaptive strategies also correlated with the presence of goals, while sociocultural adaptation correlated with the belief in one's freedom to manage one's own life. Conclusions. In young adulthood, the localization of meanings is centered in the present, accompanied by a belief in one's own agency and freedom to manage one's life. In middle adulthood, meaningfulness of life finds expression in goal-setting and is oriented toward the future. In older adulthood, meanings are represented by the presence of goals and the belief in the possibility of achieving them. These findings substantiate the need to consider age-specific characteristics in the psychological support of forced migrants.
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