Psychological Distress among Students and Cadets of Universities in the War Conditions
Stadnik A. V.1,4, Melnyk Yu. B.2,3, Babak S. A.1, Vashchenko I. V.1, Krut P. P.1
 
 
1 Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, Ukraine
2 Kharkiv Regional Public Organization “Culture of Health”, Ukraine
3 Scientific Research Institute KRPOCH, Ukraine
4 Social-Psychological Center KRPOCH, Ukraine
 
 

Abstract

Background and Aim of Study: The full-scale military aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 had an extremely negative impact on the psyche of its residents. This is especially felt by young people who should continue studying at universities in these difficult conditions.
The aim of the study: To identify the specifics of psychotraumatic impact in the conditions of war and martial law on university students and cadets, to detail their level of stress, anxiety and depression.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in November 2022 based on KNUIA, Ukraine. Respondents aged 20-27 were divided into 3 groups: 1) 115 cadets: 85.22% men and 14.78% women, who are outside of permanent deployment; 2) 107 students: 59.81% men and 40.19% women, who are forcibly displaced persons in Ukraine and abroad; 3) 103 students: 50.49% men and 49.51% women, located in Kharkiv and Kharkiv region. A Google-form questionnaire was used to study the level and nature of psychotraumatization. Data collection on the level of stress and its content was carried out using the DASS-21 tool.
Results: Among the group 3 respondents, the psychotraumatic impact is characterized by high tension and the specific weight of vital psychogenia. Severe and extremely severe manifestations of anxiety in group 3 students were 2-3 times higher than the similar indicators of groups 1, 2 respondents. Manifestations of depression among women are the highest in group 3 respondents. Stress was more expressed among men in all groups. Group 3 respondents had the highest stress indicators among men.
Conclusions: The negative impact of the war in Ukraine on the student youth’ mental health requires the active implementation of psychological assistance and psychoprophylaxis measures in accordance with the individual results of psychodiagnostics. 

 
 
 

Keywords

mental health, psychotraumatic impact, anxiety, depression, stress, students, war

 
 
  

References

Alzaghoul, A., McKinlay, A., & Archer, M. (2022). Post-traumatic stress disorder interventions for children and adolescents affected by war in low- and middle-income countries in the Middle East: Systematic review. BJPsych Open, 8(5), e153. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.552

Bodman, F. (1941). War conditions and the mental health of the child. British Medical Journal, 2, 486. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.2.4213.486

Gradus Research. (2022, October). Psykhichne zdorovia ta stavlennia ukraintsiv do psykholohichnoi dopomohy pid chas viiny [Mental health and the attitude of Ukrainians to psychological help during the war]. https://gradus.app/documents/307/Gradus_Research___Mental_Health_Report_full_version.pdf

Henry, J. D., & Crawford, J. R. (2005). The short-form version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21): construct validity and normative data in a large non-clinical sample. The British journal of clinical psychology, 44(Pt 2), 227–239. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466505X29657

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. (n. d.). Mental health and psychosocial support. IFRC. https://www.ifrc.org/our-work/health-and-care/community-health/mental-health-and-psychosocial-support

Joshi, P. T., & O’Donnell, D. A. (2003). Consequences of child exposure to war and terrorism. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 6(4), 279-291. https://doi.org/10.1023/b:ccfp.0000006294.88201.68

Kalaitzaki, A. E., Tamiolaki, A., & Vintila, M. (2022). The compounding effect of COVID-19 and war in Ukraine on mental health: Α global time bomb soon to explode? Journal of Loss and Trauma. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2022.2114654

Karam, E., & Ghosn, M. B. (2003). Psychosocial consequences of war among civilian populations Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 16(4), 413-419. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001504-200307000-00007

KhNUIA Department of Military Training, & KRPOCH. (2022). Questionnaire for cadets (students) [Data set]. https://forms.gle/Yc4NndjdJp1io21E7

Melnyk, Yu. B., Pypenko, I. S., & Maslov, Yu. V. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic as a factor revolutionizing the industry of higher education. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 12(5). https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v12n5.rioc1s19n2

Melnyk, Yu., & Stadnik, A. (2018). Mental health of a personality: Diagnostics and prevention of mental disorders. International Journal of Education and Science, 1(3-4), 50. https://doi.org/10.26697/ijes.2018.3-4.37

Melnyk, Yu. B., Stadnik, A. V., & Pypenko, I. S. (2020). Resistance to post-traumatic stress reactions of vulnerable groups engaged in pandemic liquidation. International Journal of Science Annals, 3(1), 35–44. https://doi.org/10.26697/ijsa.2020.1.5

Melnyk, Yu. B., & Stadnik, A. V. (2021). The impact of psychological transformation game “My Dao” on value orientations of participants. International Journal of Science Annals, 4(2), 21–29. https://doi.org/10.26697/ijsa.2021.2.3

Melnyk, Yu. (2019). The influence of educational, physical cultural and healthy work on the formation of the health culture of master’s students. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 19(1), 219–226. https://doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2019.s1033

Mesa-Vieira, C., Haas, A. D., Buitrago-Garcia, D., Roa-Diaz, Z. M., Minder, B., Gamba, M., Salvador, D. Jr., Gomez, D., Lewis, M., Gonzalez-Jaramillo, W. C., Pahud de Mortanges, A., Buttia, C., Muka, T., Trujillo, N., & Franco, O. H. (2022). Mental health of migrants with pre-migration exposure to armed conflict: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet. Public health, 7(5), e469–e481. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00061-5

Michalek, J., Lisi, M., Binetti, N., Ozkaya, S., Hadfield, K., Dajani, R., & Mareschal, I. (2022). War-related trauma linked to increased sustained attention to threat in children. Child Development 93(4), 900-909. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13739

New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, & Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. (2022, May). An independent legal analysis of the Russian Federation’s breaches of the genocide convention in Ukraine and the duty to prevent. https://newlinesinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/English-Final-FINAL-Report-updated-citations-1.pdf

Psychology Foundation of Australia. (2022, June 222). Depression anxiety stress scales (DASS). UNSW Sydney. http://dass.psy.unsw.edu.au/

Shevlin, M., Hyland, P., & Karatzias, T. (2022). The psychological consequences of the Ukraine war: What we know, and what we have to learn. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 146(2), 105-106. https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.13466

UNICEF. (2022, August 22). Mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies. https://www.unicef.org/protection/mental-health-psychosocial-support-in-emergencies

Veronese, G., Pepe, A., Diab, M., Abu Jamei, Y., & Kagee, A. (2022). Social support, resilience, and mental health in a low-intensity warfare context: the effects of siege on university students in Gaza. Journal of Mental Health, 31(3), 383-391 https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2021.1979486 

 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
Information about the authors:

Stadnik Anatoliy Volodymyrovych (Corresponding Author) – https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1472-4224; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Doctor of Philosophy in Medicine, Associate Professor, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs; Director, Social-Psychological Center KRPOCH; Kharkiv, Ukraine
Melnyk Yuriy Borysovychhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8527-4638; Doctor of Philosophy in Pedagogy, Associate Professor; Chairman of Board, Kharkiv Regional Public Organization “Culture of Health” (KRPOCH); Director, Scientific Research Institute KRPOCH, Ukraine
Babak Serhiy Anatoliyovychhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2248-454X; Doctor of Philosophy in Military Science, Senior Researcher, Head of the Department of Military Training, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, Ukraine
Vashchenko Ihor Vladyslavovychhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1444-7538; Doctor of Philosophy in History, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Military Training, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Krut Petro Pavlovychhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4554-7870; Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Military Training, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, Ukraine

 
 
 
Cite this article as:

APA


Stadnik, A. V., Melnyk, Yu. B., Babak, S. A., Vashchenko, I. V., & Krut, P. P. (2022). Psychological distress among students and cadets of universities in the war conditions. International Journal of Science Annals, 5(1-2), 20–29. https://doi.org/10.26697/ijsa.2022.1-2.0

Harvard


Stadnik, A. V., Melnyk, Yu. B., Babak, S. A., Vashchenko, I. V., & Krut, P. P. 2022. "Psychological distress among students and cadets of universities in the war conditions". International Journal of Science Annals, [online] 5(1-2), pp. 20–29. viewed 25 December 2022, https://culturehealth.org/ijsa_archive/ijsa.2022.1-2.0.pdf

Vancouver


Stadnik A. V., Melnyk Yu. B., Babak S. A., Vashchenko I. V., & Krut P. P. Psychological distress among students and cadets of universities in the war conditions. International Journal of Science Annals [Internet]. 2022 [cited 25 December 2022]; 5(1-2): 20–29. Available from: https://culturehealth.org/ijsa_archive/ijsa.2022.1-2.0.pdf https://doi.org/10.26697/ijsa.2022.1-2.0

  © 2018 – 2024 International Journal of Science Annals
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26697/ijsa