The mental health impact of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war 6 months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine on the mental health of Ukrainians, focusing on war-induced trauma, disturbances in self-organization, post-traumatic stress disorder, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, stress, and depression. Methods: Data was collected from 703 participants 6 months after the full-scale invasion using a structured questionnaire that included sections on socio-demographic information, trauma-related issues, and mental health. Results: The study found that levels of depression and anxiety were relatively low, while stress and resilience were relatively high among Ukrainians affected by the war. However, those who were directly exposed to military actions, physical violence, or severe human suffering had higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma-related symptoms. The war experience varied by gender, age, and living conditions. Participants who stayed in Ukraine had significantly lower anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma-related symptoms compared to those who moved abroad. Anxiety, depression, stress, low resilience, and subjective satisfaction with living conditions were predictors of trauma-related symptoms, including PTSD and CPTSD. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the mental health of Ukrainians affected by the war was impacted differently depending on their level of exposure to violence and their living conditions. Additionally, the study identified several predictors of trauma-related symptoms, including PTSD and CPTSD, such as anxiety, depression, stress, low resilience, and subjective satisfaction with living conditions. Future research should further explore the relationships between trauma type, sociodemographic factors, resilience, stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD and CPTSD to better understand the mediation mechanisms underlying these relationships and to develop effective interventions to support the well-being of Ukrainians during this difficult time.

War-related stressors and ICD-11 (complex) post-traumatic stress disorders in Ukrainian students living in Kyiv during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

We estimated the prevalence of war-related stressors (Harvard Trauma Questionnaire-R), risk of ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD; International Trauma Questionnaire-R) in N = 563 Ukrainian students living in Kyiv, an active war zone between December 2022 and January 2023. Among trauma survivors (n = 381), we used multinomial logistic regression to examine whether different war-related traumatic events and cumulative trauma increased risk for ICD-11-PTSD and CPTSD after controlling for other traumatic events, age, and gender. Nine of ten Ukrainian students (91.5%) reported at least one war-related stressor, one of five (20.8%) reported four or more stressors. War-related combat situations were reported most frequently (59.5%), followed by forced separation from family members (54.5%), lack of shelter (53.3%), and murder or violent death of a family member or friend (15.6%). Rates for probable ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD were 12.4% and 11.2%, respectively. Sexual violence and cumulative trauma exposure significantly increased the risk of CPTSD compared to other traumatic events. The high proportions of ICD-11-PTSD and CPTSD underscore the psychological burden of Ukrainian students living in an active war zone and the need for trauma-focused interventions for war-affected populations.