Psychological Determinants of Behavioral Changes in Children as a Consequence of the Traumatic Stress of the War in Ukraine

Abstract

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of psychological traumatization of children of different age groups as a result of military aggression in Ukraine. A special category that suffers psychotrauma is children, whose stress can be aggravated by the behavior of adults who feel fear, anxiety and helplessness in the realities of war. The author draws attention to the fact that parents can become a source of transmission of psychotrauma to their unborn children due to imperceptible but hereditary shifts in the genome and under the influence of constant anxiety caused by the experience of war. In this way, suffering can be passed down through the generations. Emotional response to military events in the east of the country can be traumatic stress for children and adults. The author identified and described five main types of traumatic events, which are especially often responsible for mental and physical suffering in the future: emotional neglect, emotional and physical violence, sexual aggression and sexual violence. The patterns of early psychological traumatization, negative changes in behavior due to a break in the relationship with a close adult are analyzed. The article highlights the peculiarities of the behavioral manifestations of children who have experienced a traumatic experience, taking into account their age, namely preschool children, children of primary school age and teenagers. The main types of immediate or delayed reactions demonstrated by children as a result of experiencing a traumatic situation are considered: expressive reactions, controlling reactions, shock reactions. Particular attention is paid to psychological defense mechanisms, with the help of which the child tries to cope with the traumatic situation. The results obtained by the author prove the need for further study of resources for overcoming the stress of war in children and adolescents, formation of their stress resistance at different levels: individual, social, cultural. Key words: children and adolescents, war, stress, psychological trauma, traumatic events, early psychological traumatization, psychological defense mechanisms.

“The war is here!” anxiety, trauma centrality, and the mediating role of daily stressors in Romanian and Ukrainian civilians.

“…In conclusion, Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine changed the fate of millions of people: lives were lost, and families and destinies were mutilated (Overchuk, 2022). We can mention that the results of this study contribute to the theoretical and empirical understanding of war trauma.…”

War’s unseen wounds: Physical proximity to the war, event centrality, and PTSD symptoms in the context of Russian–Ukrainian armed conflict: A moderating model.

“…Such an event is defined as one involving “actual or threatened death or serious injury or sexual violence” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 271). These highly accurate and harsh predictions are not surprising, as the Russo–Ukrainian War has already changed the fate of millions of people, with lost lives and destinies forever altered (Overchuk, 2022). In less than 6 months after the outbreak, over 12 million people have been directly affected by this war, while approximately 17 million Ukrainians have been displaced (Poberezhets, 2022).…”