On September 12, 2022, at a press conference hosted by Interfax, the Mindy Charitable Foundation for Peaceful Life Adaptation, together with Kantar Ukraine—an expert in marketing data and analytics—and the Institute for Social and Political Psychology of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, presented the results of the first nationwide study of the psychological state of the population since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The event brought together leading psychology experts and practitioners who work daily to address the psychological challenges faced by both military personnel and civilians. Participants included:
- Svitlana Chunikhina, Deputy Director of the Institute for Social and Political Psychology, NAES of Ukraine;
- Oleksandra Mashkevych, Director General of the Directorate of Medical Services, Ministry of Health of Ukraine;
- Anatolii Sychevskyi, Head of the Psychological Service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine;
- Yuliia Mazur, Deputy Director General of the Directorate for Rehabilitation and Medical Support, Ministry for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine;
- Taras Yermakov, Co-founder of the Mindy Foundation;
- Daryna Tsepkova, Co-founder of the UAF Coin Foundation.
The scientific lead of the research project was Dr. Liubov Naidionova, Doctor of Psychological Sciences and Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, who participated on a voluntary basis.
The aim of the study was to analyze the psychological condition of the population under wartime conditions, in order to identify key areas of concern and help guide effective support strategies during the war and throughout Ukraine’s postwar recovery. The psychological consequences of war include long-term harm to emotional well-being and individual productivity, disorders of social adaptation and behavior, increased conflict-prone dynamics within communities, and the intensification of centrifugal tendencies across society.
The research was conducted using an online survey via Kantar Ukraine’s online panel and covered individuals aged 18–55 living in Ukrainian cities with populations over 50,000. Participation in the survey was voluntary and anonymous. The methodology, including indicators and the questionnaire itself, was developed based on scientific research by the Institute for Social and Political Psychology of NAES of Ukraine.
The first wave of the study began in late July and early August and was carried out in areas under the control of the Ukrainian government.
Key Findings of the Study
Despite the severe circumstances of full-scale war, the self-reported level of psychological well-being among Ukrainians remains relatively high—6.7 points on a 9-point scale. This trend is consistent across all demographic groups and regions.
The strongest contributor to this sense of well-being is self-esteem—respondents’ positive attitudes toward themselves.
However, more functional components of well-being—such as emotional regulation (the ability to manage and cope with difficult emotional states) and resilience (the ability to deal with life challenges)—received lower ratings.
This suggests that Ukrainian society remains in a phase of psychological mobilization due to the war, but may lack the internal resources to sustain it much longer.
Psychological well-being is lower among internally displaced persons who are still in evacuation, compared to those who were never displaced or have returned home.
- 40% of respondents experienced a threat to their own lives and/or directly witnessed life-threatening situations due to being in combat zones or under shelling.
- Over 41% have relatives or close ones who were or are in combat zones, including 16% who lost someone close to them.
- 6% were under occupation, directly threatened with violence, or witnessed such threats.
- 5% experienced hyper-cumulative trauma—meaning they lived through or witnessed all major types of traumatic events: shelling, threats to loved ones, occupation or captivity.
- Only 9% of respondents reported having had no direct exposure to traumatic events during the full-scale war.
The vast majority of respondents (over 90%) exhibited at least one symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 57% are at risk of developing PTSD.
Ukraine’s postwar recovery will largely depend on the degree of emotional solidarity among citizens and the spread of a culture of psychological health—which includes the ability to recognize mental health challenges and the willingness to seek help when needed.
The emotional solidarity index—measuring the psychological impact of internal migration—was above average, at 37 out of 50 possible points. However, solidarity tends to be passive or declarative: while respondents report positive attitudes toward host communities, they show relatively low readiness to engage in joint actions or deeper integration.
- Nearly 70% of respondents said they had not felt the need to seek psychological support in the past month.
- Only 3% actually received help, while 23% wanted to seek help but had not yet done so.
- Almost 45% said they would need to “gather the courage” to reach out for psychological assistance.
- About 30% of respondents are only willing to seek psychological help if it is free of charge.
- Only 34% of all respondents knew where to turn for help if needed—and among those aged 41–55, this figure was significantly lower at 24%.
- The full-scale war on the territory of Ukraine poses serious threats to the psychological health and well-being of the majority of the population. Counteracting these threats and overcoming their destructive consequences requires the development of a national system for the preservation and restoration of citizens’ psychological health. The key components of such a system should include:
- – the establishment of a network of psychological support services (centers, resources, platforms, hotlines), including those offering free-of-charge assistance to the population;
– the launch of a large-scale psychoeducational campaign in the media aimed at promoting a culture of care for mental health and destigmatizing those who seek psychological help;
– the development of unified standards for media coverage of wartime events in order to prevent secondary traumatization of audiences, and the consistent adherence to these standards by the media community throughout the period of martial law. - The National Program for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, initiated by First Lady Olena Zelenska, can play an important role in coordinating the efforts of the professional psychological community and the decision-making centers in both civilian and military sectors.
- This research project is being implemented with the financial support of UAF Coin (uafcoin.com)—a charitable foundation and volunteer cryptocurrency created by the Ukrainian crypto-social network Sl8 (sl8.online) to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.