Acute Stress Disorder among 2022 Ukrainian war refugees: a cross-sectional study
IntroductionFleeing from war can be terrifying and result in Acute Stress Disorder (ASD), a mental health condition that can occur in the first month after a traumatic event. The study aimed to identify the prevalence of ASD among Ukrainian refugees and identify its risk factors to create a profile...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1280236/full |
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| author | Piotr Kordel Marcin Rządeczka Marcin Rządeczka Marta Studenna-Skrukwa Katarzyna Kwiatkowska-Moskalewicz Katarzyna Kwiatkowska-Moskalewicz Olga Goncharenko Marcin Moskalewicz Marcin Moskalewicz Marcin Moskalewicz Marcin Moskalewicz |
| author_facet | Piotr Kordel Marcin Rządeczka Marcin Rządeczka Marta Studenna-Skrukwa Katarzyna Kwiatkowska-Moskalewicz Katarzyna Kwiatkowska-Moskalewicz Olga Goncharenko Marcin Moskalewicz Marcin Moskalewicz Marcin Moskalewicz Marcin Moskalewicz |
| author_sort | Piotr Kordel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionFleeing from war can be terrifying and result in Acute Stress Disorder (ASD), a mental health condition that can occur in the first month after a traumatic event. The study aimed to identify the prevalence of ASD among Ukrainian refugees and identify its risk factors to create a profile of the most vulnerable refugees.MethodsThis cross-sectional study of 637 Ukrainian war-displaced persons and refugees in 2022 used the Acute Stress Disorder Scale.ResultsThe prevalence of ASD among participants was high (93.5%). Several factors increasing the risk of developing ASD in the sample were identified, e.g., witnessing Russian attacks (OR 2.92, 95% CI 1.26–6.78), insufficient financial resources (OR 3.56, 95% CI 1.61–7.91), and feeling of loneliness in the host country (OR 3.07, 95% CI 1.58–8.69). Pre-existing depression and the death of a close person, among others, were found to significantly (p < 0.05) exacerbate the ASD symptoms. At the same time, neither age, the distance traveled, time spent on fleeing the country, nor the type of companionship during refuge (escaping alone, with children, pets or the older adults) correlate with the severity of symptoms.ConclusionThe study shows extreme levels of trauma among Ukrainian war refugees and displaced persons. Knowledge regarding ASD vulnerabilities in the present conflict may facilitate prompt and adequate psychological help. Since ASD can be an antecedent of PTSD and several autoimmune disorders, these results may also serve as a predictor of future challenges for Ukrainian society. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T23:55:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-25951db19913450cb1a7ad61f11fe490 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T23:55:50Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-25951db19913450cb1a7ad61f11fe4902024-03-14T13:37:30ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652024-03-011210.3389/fpubh.2024.12802361280236Acute Stress Disorder among 2022 Ukrainian war refugees: a cross-sectional studyPiotr Kordel0Marcin Rządeczka1Marcin Rządeczka2Marta Studenna-Skrukwa3Katarzyna Kwiatkowska-Moskalewicz4Katarzyna Kwiatkowska-Moskalewicz5Olga Goncharenko6Marcin Moskalewicz7Marcin Moskalewicz8Marcin Moskalewicz9Marcin Moskalewicz10Philosophy of Mental Health Unit, Department of Social Sciences and the Humanities, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, PolandInstitute of Philosophy, Marie Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, PolandIDEAS NCBR, Warsaw, PolandFaculty of History, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, PolandFaculty of History, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, PolandDepartment of History, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyFaculty of Social Sciences and Social Technologies, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv, UkrainePhilosophy of Mental Health Unit, Department of Social Sciences and the Humanities, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, PolandInstitute of Philosophy, Marie Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, PolandPsychiatric Clinic, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyIDEAS NCBR, Warsaw, PolandIntroductionFleeing from war can be terrifying and result in Acute Stress Disorder (ASD), a mental health condition that can occur in the first month after a traumatic event. The study aimed to identify the prevalence of ASD among Ukrainian refugees and identify its risk factors to create a profile of the most vulnerable refugees.MethodsThis cross-sectional study of 637 Ukrainian war-displaced persons and refugees in 2022 used the Acute Stress Disorder Scale.ResultsThe prevalence of ASD among participants was high (93.5%). Several factors increasing the risk of developing ASD in the sample were identified, e.g., witnessing Russian attacks (OR 2.92, 95% CI 1.26–6.78), insufficient financial resources (OR 3.56, 95% CI 1.61–7.91), and feeling of loneliness in the host country (OR 3.07, 95% CI 1.58–8.69). Pre-existing depression and the death of a close person, among others, were found to significantly (p < 0.05) exacerbate the ASD symptoms. At the same time, neither age, the distance traveled, time spent on fleeing the country, nor the type of companionship during refuge (escaping alone, with children, pets or the older adults) correlate with the severity of symptoms.ConclusionThe study shows extreme levels of trauma among Ukrainian war refugees and displaced persons. Knowledge regarding ASD vulnerabilities in the present conflict may facilitate prompt and adequate psychological help. Since ASD can be an antecedent of PTSD and several autoimmune disorders, these results may also serve as a predictor of future challenges for Ukrainian society.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1280236/fullrefugeesdisplaced personswarstresstraumahealth |
| spellingShingle | Piotr Kordel Marcin Rządeczka Marcin Rządeczka Marta Studenna-Skrukwa Katarzyna Kwiatkowska-Moskalewicz Katarzyna Kwiatkowska-Moskalewicz Olga Goncharenko Marcin Moskalewicz Marcin Moskalewicz Marcin Moskalewicz Marcin Moskalewicz Acute Stress Disorder among 2022 Ukrainian war refugees: a cross-sectional study Frontiers in Public Health refugees displaced persons war stress trauma health |
| title | Acute Stress Disorder among 2022 Ukrainian war refugees: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Acute Stress Disorder among 2022 Ukrainian war refugees: a cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Acute Stress Disorder among 2022 Ukrainian war refugees: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Acute Stress Disorder among 2022 Ukrainian war refugees: a cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Acute Stress Disorder among 2022 Ukrainian war refugees: a cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | acute stress disorder among 2022 ukrainian war refugees a cross sectional study |
| topic | refugees displaced persons war stress trauma health |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1280236/full |
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