Assessment of the psychological state of medical students in wartime depending on their location
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14739/mmt.2025.4.341485Keywords:
psychological state, security situation, war, Ukraine, anxiety, depression, psychological defense mechanismsAbstract
The aim of the study is to analyze the psychological state of medical students, including those in postgraduate training, in the city of Zaporizhzhia and comparing these indicators with a similar cohort in the city of Chernivtsi, with the cohort of temporarily displaced medical students in other regions of Ukraine and abroad.
Materials and methods. An assessment of anxiety and depression levels was conducted among 613 medical students. The study was implemented through an online survey using a questionnaire-based method, structured according to the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), both of which have been properly adapted for use in Ukraine.
Results. For the group of respondents from Zaporizhzhia, when compared to the group of respondents from Chernivtsi, the number of “clinically significant” cases of anxiety was significantly lower (p = 0.016). The number of “clinically significant” cases of depression did not show significant differences compared to other groups. At the same time, for the group of respondents from Chernivtsi, compared to the group of respondents from other regions of Ukraine, the number of “clinically significant” cases of anxiety was significantly higher (p = 0.019). The number of “clinically significant” cases of depression, when compared to the group of respondents from other regions of Ukraine, was also significantly higher (p = 0.019).
Conclusions. Qualitative analysis demonstrates prevalence of “significant” cases of anxiety according to the GAD-7 in the group of respondents from Chernivtsi compared with the group from Zaporizhzhia (42.6 % vs. 30.1 %, p = 0.016). Compared with the group of respondents from other regions of Ukraine, this indicator is also higher in the Chernivtsi group (42.6 % vs. 28.2 %, p = 0.002). Qualitative analysis shows a predominance of “significant” cases of depression in the group of respondents from Chernivtsi compared to a similar group from other regions of Ukraine (48.8% vs. 37.2%, p = 0.019), while no predominance of “significant” cases was found in comparison with a similar group from Zaporizhzhia (48.8% vs. 39.7%, p = 0.068). Quantitative analysis shows that statistically significant differences in self-assessment of anxiety levels are observed only between groups of respondents in Chernivtsi and other regions of Ukraine, with a predominance in the group of respondents in Chernivtsi (p = 0.006). Similarly, differences in quantitative indicators of self-reported depression levels according to PHQ-9 are also observed only between groups of respondents from Chernivtsi and other regions of Ukraine, with a predominance of moderate depression severity in the group of respondents from Chernivtsi (p = 0.012).
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Copyright (c) 2025 Yu. M. Kolesnyk, I. V. Gerush, D. Yu. Riazanov, T. O. Ilashchuk, V. O. Kurylo, V. L. Pidlubnyi, A. D. Horodokin
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