ABSTRACT The Russian invasion of Ukraine transitioned from an “existential war” into a “war of attrition.” The study assessed the impact of prolonged conflict on resilience and coping mechanisms through two cross‐sectional assessments conducted with independent samples (Sample 1 – July 2022 N = 1001; Sample 2 – November 2023 N = 2247). The respondents completed a quantitative questionnaire during the war, which included individual, community, and societal resilience, hope, sense of danger, perceived threats, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A significant decrease in all variables was found between Sample 1 and Sample 2 measurements. Path analysis indicated that government support is the variable most strongly related to societal resilience. Community resilience is the variable most strongly related to individual resilience. Perceived threats are the variable most strongly associated with PTSD symptoms. The above‐mentioned variables explain 68% (Sample 1) and 60% (Sample 2) of societal resilience, 19% (Sample 1 and Sample 2) of individual resilience, and 58% (Sample 1) and 12% (Sample 2) of PTSD symptoms. Findings suggest the “routinization” of an ongoing emergency, allowing the population to coexist with the adversity and accept war as the “new normalcy.” Nonetheless, the future remains uncertain, leading to a decline in hope. Strategies that bolster individual and societal resilience during adversities should include social support mechanisms that enhance the population's hope and morale and build the government's trust and support.
Kimhi et al. (Fri,) studied this question.