Page 23 - IJSA, Vol. 6, No 2, 2023

International Journal of Science Annals, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2023
рrint ISSN: 2617-2682; online ISSN: 2707-3637; DOI:10.26697/ijsa

Introduction Materials and Methods
The war in Ukraine affects both the physical health and To conduct the study, we engaged Ukrainian students of
psychological well-being of individuals and Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs
communities. Despite the relatively long period of (KhNUIA) and Uzhhorod National University (UzhNU)
martial law (20 months), most Ukrainians are still in the in October 2023.
epicenter of active hostilities. People are killed and The participants are between the ages of 20 and 35 years
injured as a result of the constant bombardment of public old. All participants were divided into the following 3
places by Russian missiles and drones, the usual way of groups:
life is disrupted, and there is often no communication, Group 1 – students living in the area of active hostilities
water, heat or electricity (Stadnik et al., 2022). (Kharkiv region of Ukraine) in the amount of 111
Although a part of the population of Ukraine lives in persons, including 33 (29.7%) males and 78 (70.3%)
safer regions or abroad, millions of Ukrainians have females.
become internally displaced persons, migrants (Patel & Group 2 – students living in the areas of Ukraine where
Erickson, 2022). there were shelling by missiles and drones and who are
Recent studies show that many Ukrainians have lost internally displaced persons, in the amount of 104
their homes, jobs, money, property, parents and persons, including 19 (18.3%) males and 85 (81.7%)
relatives, and have mental health problems (Ben-Ezra et females.
al., 2023; Stadnik et al., 2023). Group 3 – students living in the areas where there were
Data from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys have no hostilities and shelling (Transcarpathian region of
highlighted that recovery from post-traumatic stress Ukraine and the EU countries), in the amount of 108
disorder is particularly slow in the context of war persons, including 16 (14.8%) males and 92 (85.2%)
(Koenen et al., 2017). females.
War causes trauma to both its participants and the wider Due to the war in Ukraine, the study was conducted
community (Surzykiewicz et al., 2022). One of the most online. The psychological tests were posted on the
vulnerable categories is the student youth, who are official website of the Scientific Research Institute
forced to endure all the hardships and difficulties of war. KRPOCH (2023), using Google Forms for potential
In addition, university study is a period of adult participants. In addition, all groups were monitored
formation characterized by dramatic psychosocial during remote and face-to-face classes. An individual
changes, problems related to learning, interpersonal interview was used when it was necessary.
relationships, and the need to adapt to student life. The following techniques were used to achieve the
As a result, the combination of these factors can have a research goal: Psychological General Well-Being Index
significant impact on learning outcomes, as well as on – PGWBI (Grossi & Compare, 2014) and Coping
students’ health and psychological well-being. Strategies Inventory – CSI (Tobin et al., 1989).
To achieve a sufficient level of psychological well- Psychological well-being was assessed using the
being, it is necessary to learn how to use constructive Ukrainian version of the 22-item Psychological General
and effective coping strategies (Pérez-Chacón et al., Well-Being Index questionnaire
2023). Appropriate coping strategies help students to (https://forms.gle/MG5nmrydPo5Ff3Tx5). This self-
deal with life’s difficulties and obstacles and to find assessment tool is designed to measure subjective well-
adaptive opportunities in stressful situations. However, being or suffering over the past 4 weeks. It explores six
poorly chosen coping strategies can not only cause different domains: Anxiety (ANX), Depressive Mood
situational failure, but also perpetuate destructive ways (DEP), Positive Well-Being (PWB), Self-Control (SC),
of dealing with difficult life situations. As a result, it can General Health (GH), and Vitality (VT). Each item was
lead to mental health problems (Yeh et al., 2023). In rated on a 6-point scale (from 0 to 5). The global
times of war, this is especially important for students. summary score was calculated by dividing the raw score
Therefore, ignorance of protective behavior patterns (or obtained during the test by the maximum raw score
the psychological mechanisms for dealing with difficult obtained for each parameter and multiplying the result
situations) can be a trigger for the onset of by 100. Higher scores indicate a better PGWBI. More
psychosomatic illness and other psychogenic specifically, a total score of less than 55 points indicates
personality disorders. severe distress, 55-65 points indicates moderate distress,
The aim of the study. To determine the impact of the war and 66-100 points indicates no distress or a state of
in Ukraine on the psychological well-being of university psychological well-being. High scores on ANX and
students and to identify the peculiarities of their use of DEP indicate low anxiety and low depression, while
coping strategies in overcoming life crises on their own. high scores on PWB, SC, GH, and VT indicate high
This study will allow us to better understand the key positive well-being, self-control, good general health,
factors that affect the psychological state of students, and vitality.
develop appropriate measures of psychological support Coping strategies were assessed using the Ukrainian
and psychoprophylaxis for students, and help optimize version of the 32-item Coping Strategies Inventory
education at universities under martial law. (https://forms.gle/PHxRXbtVRhx35M2s5).

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