Effect of war and displacement on psychological distress: a study of Ukrainian Citizens

The full-scale war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed the lives of its residents, forcing many of them to relocate within Ukraine or seek refuge abroad. This displacement, coupled with the loss of homes, workplaces, family separations, and the challenges of integrating into new environments, has caused significant psychological distress among Ukrainian forced migrants. To measure this distress, we used the SCL-9-NR scale, shortened and validated by Institute of Sociology of Ukraine for use among the Ukrainian population version of the SCL-90-R test developed by Derogatis. We compared the psychological distress level among three groups: people who had experienced displacement, surveyed before the Russian aggression, and those who remained in their original settlements during the war. We used gender and age as the control variables in order to better isolate the war effect and the fact of displacement on psychological distress. Our findings suggest that war and the experience of displacement (whether acting in conjunction or separately) significantly increase the level of distress, even when controlling for gender, age and all possible interactions of independent variables. This study provides valuable insights into the psychological well-being of Ukrainian displaced people and serves as a basis for further research.