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Mental Health Burden of the Russian–Ukrainian War 2022 (RUW-22): Anxiety and Depression Levels among Young Adults in Central Europe

Author

Listed:
  • Abanoub Riad

    (Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic)

  • Anton Drobov

    (Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic)

  • Martin Krobot

    (Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic)

  • Natália Antalová

    (Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
    Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic)

  • Muhammad Abdullatif Alkasaby

    (Centre for Global Mental Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel St., London WC1E 7HT, UK)

  • Aleš Peřina

    (Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic)

  • Michal Koščík

    (Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic)

Abstract

Armed conflicts are public health emergencies that affect human lives at multiple levels. The mental health of adolescents and young adults is at high risk during crisis settings; therefore, this cross-sectional survey-based study aimed to evaluate anxiety and depressive symptoms among university students in the Czech Republic following the Russian-Ukrainian war of 2022 (RUW-22). The study used standardized screening instruments; the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) for anxiety and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depression. Of 591 students who participated in this study, 67.7% were females, 68.2% held Czech citizenship, and 63.8% were enrolled in medical or healthcare programs. The participants were highly concerned about the RUW-22 news, with a mean score of 7.17 ± 2.50 (0–10). While 34% and 40.7% of the participants in this study manifested moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depression, respectively, the mental health burden of the RUW-22 was confirmed by the positive correlation between “feeling concerned”, GAD-7 (ρ = 0.454), and PHQ-9 (ρ = 0.326). Female gender, higher frequency of news following, and social media use were associated with higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms; thus, proposing them to be risk factors for psychological disorders following the RUW-22.

Suggested Citation

  • Abanoub Riad & Anton Drobov & Martin Krobot & Natália Antalová & Muhammad Abdullatif Alkasaby & Aleš Peřina & Michal Koščík, 2022. "Mental Health Burden of the Russian–Ukrainian War 2022 (RUW-22): Anxiety and Depression Levels among Young Adults in Central Europe," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-14, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:14:p:8418-:d:859375
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    Cited by:

    1. Katarzyna Karakiewicz-Krawczyk & Krzysztof Zdziarski & Marek Landowski & Agnieszka Nieradko-Heluszko & Artur Kotwas & Paweł Szumilas & Anna Knyszyńska & Beata Karakiewicz, 2022. "The Opinions of Poles about the Need to Provide Humanitarian Aid to Refugees from the Area Covered by the Russian–Ukrainian War," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-14, October.
    2. Maria Kasierska & Julia Suwalska & Dorota Łojko & Marta Jakubiak-Głowacka & Sławomir Tobis & Aleksandra Suwalska, 2023. "Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Polish Population in the Context of the War in Ukraine: Analysis of Risk Factors and Practical Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-13, September.
    3. Edyta Skwirczyńska & Mateusz Kozłowski & Katarzyna Nowak & Oskar Wróblewski & Agnieszka Sompolska-Rzechuła & Sebastian Kwiatkowski & Aneta Cymbaluk-Płoska, 2022. "Anxiety Assessment in Polish Students during the Russian–Ukrainian War," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-13, October.
    4. Magdalena Nowicka & Ewa Jarczewska-Gerc & Magdalena Marszal-Wisniewska, 2022. "Response of Polish Psychiatric Patients to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in February 2022―Predictive Role of Risk Perception and Temperamental Traits," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-11, December.
    5. Abanoub Riad & Anton Drobov & Muhammad Abdullatif Alkasaby & Aleš Peřina & Michal Koščík, 2023. "Nuclear Anxiety Amid the Russian-Ukrainian War 2022 (RUW-22): Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-13, February.
    6. Andriy Haydabrus & Mikel Santana-Santana & Yuriy Lazarenko & Lydia Giménez-Llort, 2022. "Current War in Ukraine: Lessons from the Impact of War on Combatants’ Mental Health during the Last Decade," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-9, August.

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