Immediate mental health status of refugees during the Ukrainian armed conflict of 2022.

Abstract

The study assessed stressors and the immediate mental health status of the Ukrainian refugees during the ongoing Ukrainian armed conflict of 2022 and analyzed strategies for reducing anxiety levels. The questionnaire-based prospective study was undertaken in Lviv, Ukraine (five study groups) and Israel (two groups) among 27,901 refugees and 1,259 controls. We assessed the levels of anxiety with General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7; score range = 0-21, mild to severe) and Refugees' Anxiety Reasons-6 (RAR-6) with a score ranging from 30 (no anxiety) to 6 (extreme anxiety) questionnaires. RAR-6 assessed worries about personal safety, money matters, relatives under fire, the future of the country, limited medications, and general mental fatigue. The study involved refugees in the migration phase and internally displaced persons. The GAD-7 score of 16.1 ± 2.6 (severe anxiety) showed that all participants experienced anxiety during current hostilities. The RAR-6 score of 21.8 ± 1.7 demonstrated that participants worried about numerous acute problems, but the results varied from group to group. The refugees who moved abroad independently and without a clear goal had the worst GAD-7 score of 19.4 ± 1.7. The refugees who traveled abroad in a group-organized manner had the best RAR-6 score of 24.8 ± 1.5, while passing through Lviv refugees had the worst RAR-6 score of 19.0 ± 1.6 (p = .03). During hostilities, refugees, internally displaced persons, and regular inhabitants are mentally affected to varying degrees. For refugees, group-organized travel abroad is the best option to maintain adequate mental health, followed by an internal refugee status and traveling abroad independently (the worst strategy). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).