Speakers - WNSC 2025

Abstract

Introduction: Russian terrorism in Ukraine has been going on for 3 years now. Stress has affected all Ukrainians in one way or another, catastrophically worsening their health and quality of life. It is difficult to get completely used to stressful-extreme tests, but it is possible and necessary to fight them. Therefore, the aim of this study was both to study the mental/psychoemotional state of Ukrainians who, from the first war-days, were in the zones of Ukraine where Russia was actively bombing/shelling, and to apply protective-rehabilitating means. 

Methods: Four categories of participants were recruited, including family members: civilians, military personnel, persons who were in captivity, persons who were under occupation (n=3916, aged 5-73). All participants gave voluntary consent to participate, their main location was the city of Uman, other regions of Ukraine also. The study period covered the years 2022-2024. Fourteen different diagnostic instruments (clinical interviews, questionnaires, measurement scales) were used, namely, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory by C. D. Spielberger, A. Beck’s Depression Inventory, Test BASIC Ph of M. Lahad, J. Raven’s Progressive Matrices Test, etc.

Study procedure: An Art-Center was opened at the Uman City Hospital, a municipal non-profit enterprise, where applications from the population for social-psychological support on issues of war trauma, gender violence, stabilization of family relations, etc. were accepted. The work was conducted in two forms, mainly in a group to cover a larger number of people, but individually also: 1) face-to-face counseling, 2) work of a psychologist on a hotline.

Results: Various stress- or psychotrauma-induced disorders were detected in 2677 of 3916 participants (951 men, 1726 women), mainly in male military personnel and persons after captivity or occupation. Sleep disorder with concomitant eating disorders, negative somatics, anxiety, depression was registered in 284 participants (49 men, 235 women), which provoked physical, emotional and sexual violence between partners and even suicidal tendencies in young people. Neuropsychic developmental disturbances were identified in 771 children (309 boys, 462 girls): tics, stuttering, finger sucking (76% of children); masturbation (48%), enuresis (43%), hair pulling (23%), eating disorders (15%). This served as the basis for referring children to specialized doctors: neurologist, psychiatrist, speech therapist, psychologist.

Conclusions: All the symptoms identified are dangerous because they can provoke more serious chronic neurological-somatic disorders. Therefore, a strategy and system for the implementation of art-therapy and rehabilitation techniques were developed. Participants underwent various types of art-therapy, Yoga, Reiki and meditation sessions. This allowed primarily to switch attention, relax, reduce agitation, and form an adequate response to external traumatic effects, due to which stress-resistance increased, and, accordingly, the mechanism of internal self-defense was activated. Our study may contribute to expanding the range of nursing interventions in providing comprehensive care to populations affected by various disasters/conflicts, especially by war-induced psycho-emotional stress. 

Keywords: Russian war-aggression in Ukraine, stress, psycho-emotional disorders, art-therapy, rehabilitation techniques