Exploring the Impact of Military Conflicts on Mental Health of Students: The Case of Ukraine

Tamilina, Larysa and Hohol, Oleksandra and Ihnatenko, Yaroslava (2023): Exploring the Impact of Military Conflicts on Mental Health of Students: The Case of Ukraine. Forthcoming in:

Abstract

This study examines the mental health of students from Kyiv universities, considering the context of 21 months of war in Ukraine. Our primary dataset is derived from an online survey. Employing Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression, we analyze two key facets of mental health: anxiety levels and safety perception. Our findings reveal that anxiety levels among students are primarily shaped by the frequency of contemplation regarding the ongoing war and their emotional responses to war-related news. Similarly, obsessive thoughts about the war negatively impact safety perception, a trend that, however, tends to diminish for students studying abroad during the conflict. Conversely, for students who remain in Ukraine, the absence of psychological support from the university exacerbates the situation, contributing to a significant decrease in the sense of safety.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Anxiety, safety perception, mental health, wartime, Ukraine
• Subjects: I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I0 - General > I00 - General; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I12 - Health Behavior

References

Osokina, O., Silwal, S., Bohdanova, T., Hodes, M., Sourander, A., and Skokauskas, N. (2023) Impact of the Russian Invasion on Mental Health of Adolescents in Ukraine. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 62 (1): 335-343. doi: ttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2022.07.845.

Reupert A. (2020) Change and (the need for) adaptability: the new normal. Advances in Mental Health: Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention, Volume 18 (2): 91-93. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/18387357.2020.1792633.

Verma R, Balhara YP, and Gupta CS. (2011) Gender differences in stress response: Role of developmental and biological determinants. Indian Psychiatry Journal, Volume 20 (1): 4-10. doi: 10.4103/0972-6748.98407.

Wang Y. (2023) The research on the impact of distance learning on students' mental health. Education and Information Technologies, Volume 11:1-13. doi: 10.1007/s10639-023-11693-w.