Page 38 - IJSA, Vol. 7, No 1, 2024

International Journal of Science Annals, Vol. 7, No. 1, 2024
рrint ISSN: 2617-2682; online ISSN: 2707-3637; DOI:10.26697/ijsa

Personal resources that might support the resilience of a influence of their proximity to the combat zone. Similar
sample of Ukrainian students to the stress of war were results have been found in a number of studies:
explored. Emotional stability and resilience were found manifestations of depression were more common in
to be the resources most strongly associated with fewer women than in men. At the same time, severe and
posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and fewer extremely severe manifestations of anxiety (2-3 times
physical complaints, while benevolence and integrity higher than similar indicators in respondents) were
also played a role (Kokun & Bezverkhyi, 2024). observed among students who were not in the vicinity of
The problems of Ukrainian refugee students pursuing the combat zone (Stadnik et al., 2022; 2023). There was
higher education in Europe have been studied by Pentón evidence of a strong dose-response relationship between
Herrera and Byndas (2023), and Regnoli et al. (2023). war-related stressors and meeting criteria for
Refugees have been found to experience psychological posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD
stress that can lead to mental health problems. War- (CPTSD). Participants who had the highest exposure to
related population movements have a negative impact on war-related stressors were significantly more likely to
mental health, which is regularly confirmed by numerous meet the requirements for PTSD (OR=4.20; 95%
studies (Fino et al., 2020; Radhouane, 2023). CI=2.96-5.95) and CPTSD (OR=8.12; 95% CI=5.11-
The unprecedented scale of Russian aggression against 12.91) compared to the least exposed (Karatzias et al.,
Ukraine has caused the largest mass displacement of 2023).
people in modern history (Patel & Erickson, 2022). Similar trends, albeit at slightly different rates, have been
Studies show that asylum seekers and refugees are reported by other researchers. People living in a war-torn
particularly vulnerable to traumatic experiences that are region of Ukraine also had a significantly increased risk
threefold in nature: pre-migration, peri-migration, and of PTSD (OR=4.11, 95% CI=2.37-7.13), severe anxiety
post-migration (Chen et al., 2017). According to (OR=3.10, 95% CI=1.83-5.27), and moderate/severe
researchers (Marchi et al., 2022), the experience of war depression (OR=2.65, 95% CI=1.79-3.92) (Osokina et
and displacement can have profound effects on children’s al., 2023).
affective development and mental health. However, the Thus, the use of different techniques to study this
mechanisms underlying these effects remain unknown. problem shows similar results – the war had a significant
In addition, refugees are exposed to war through the negative impact on the mental state of students, and the
media coverage of war-related violence. This leads to closer they were to the war zone, the greater the impact.
stress and overstimulation (Chudzicka-Czupała et al., In line with previous research on the impact of the
2023). Russian-Ukrainian War on the mental health of students’
The relevance of certain psychological symptoms youth in Ukraine, predictors are described that determine
(anxiety, depression, insomnia, and poor health) among the impact of features of interpersonal style on the index
civilians and especially young people during war is of perceived stress, index of coping resources, positive
widely recognised (Baroud & Dirani, 2023; Zaid et al., attitude towards others, autonomy, environmental
2023). management, personal development, life goals, self-
Contemporary research during the Russian-Ukrainian perception, psychological well-being, inclusion, control,
War has shown high prevalence rates of symptoms of risk acceptance, and resilience (Lunov et al., 2023).
psychological distress, anxiety, depression and insomnia Effects can also be characterised as stages of mental
among Ukrainians aged 18 and over. In addition, health impact: acute reactions – acute disorder – chronic
researchers stress the need for further research and the stress/disorder at both personal and societal levels (Vus
need to develop effective survival strategies for & Esterlis, 2022). Gilreath et al. (2022) studied stressors
Ukrainians during the war (Długosz, 2023; Khraban, that can affect the academic performance and well-being
2022; Pavlova & Rogowska, 2023). of youth during wartime.
The choice of the subject of research and techniques was This study has several limitations. First, it should be
determined by the real needs and problems identified in noted that the study was conducted under active war
the scientific literature. The Depression Anxiety Stress conditions, which may have contributed to the high
Scales are widely used in modern research as a reliable scores. Second, our study is limited by the small number
screening tool for studying the impact of war on of participants in each group. It was not possible to carry
individuals’ mental health (Çelebi & Durmuş Sarıkahya, out a more comprehensive assessment of the students
2023; Chudzicka-Czupała et al., 2023; El-Ghitany et al., under these conditions.
2024). It must be considered that the participants were young
The application of this technique made it possible to students. This may have influenced the results. Some
identify psychogenic factors affecting students in war researchers argue that young people are more interested
and martial law conditions, as well as to detail in contemporary social dilemmas than other age groups,
psychopathological symptoms according to the Anxiety, and that this affects their mental health and psychological
Depression and Stress Scales. well-being (Barchielli et al. 2022; Bezzi 2022; Galliano
We analysed the data from the DASS-21 study and 2020).
compared it with other research techniques, namely, the It should also be noted that in the study of Ukrainian
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), and the Social students, we used only the Ukrainian versions of the
Support Questionnaire (F-SozU K-22), in the context of author’s questionnaire and the DASS-21 questionnaire
dividing students into groups according to the level of (Melnyk & Stadnik, 2023). This approach avoided any

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