Citation

Kaniasty K, Baran M, Urbańska B, Boczkowska M, Hamer K. Appl. Psychol. Health Wellbeing 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, International Association of Applied Psychology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/aphw.12483

PMID

37640052

Abstract

This study investigated psychological toll of the ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine in a sample of adult Poles (N = 1245). Data were collected online in early February and August 2022. Prospective analyses that accounted for psychological health status assessed before the Russian invasion showed that higher levels of sense of danger due to the war predicted higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of affect balance close to 6 months after Russia attacked Ukraine. Sense of country's mastery (i.e. beliefs that government, its major institutions, and citizens would effectively cope with various emergencies and crises) served as a protective factor. Likewise, Poles who had confidence in their personal mastery (e.g., beliefs in ability to exercise control over life challenges) exhibited less distress and more subjective well-being. These findings emerged after controlling for sociodemographic factors, the presence of stressful experiences associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and other life events. Wars dramatically reverberate beyond the borders of the countries involved. People's own sense of mastery and their trust in the resilience of their governmental and public institutions are critical in times of coping with existential security threats and wars.

Language: en

Keywords

psychological distress; mastery; Russian-Ukrainian war; sense of danger; societal resilience