Reports suggest that over 14 million Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes at some point in the two years since Russia invaded Ukraine. Studies indicate that anxiety and PTSD are common among war-affected communities- especially displaced individuals- and that blast exposure may be an important contributor to these symptoms.
In the current study, researchers from the International Blast Injury Research Network at the University of Southampton investigated the mental health status of refugees and IDP's from Ukraine. To do so, they conducted an online survey between April and July 2022 using Facebook Ads Manager.
Participants reported whether or not they had experienced a blast exposure since the start of the invasion and whether they took medication for mental health conditions before the war started. They also completed measures of generalized anxiety and PTSD flashbacks and nightmares. Altogether, data was collected from 3, 253 internally displaced persons and 5, 073 refugees.
Ultimately, they found that 79.9% of IDPs and 61.7% of refugees experienced blast exposure since Russia’s invasion. They noted that 69.1% of participants met the cut-off point for generalized anxiety, warranting further diagnostic evaluation. They further found that IDPs reported higher levels of generalized anxiety and greater frequency of PTSD symptoms when compared to refugees.
“Exposure to blast events can be incredibly distressing. Our survey of 8300 Ukrainian respondents show that almost 70% reported witnessing a blast event during the first 4 months of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Most worryingly, many respondents who were blast-exposed reported adverse mental health outcomes, including symptoms of PTSD,” noted the autors in a press release.
They further found that blast exposure had a stronger impact on flashback frequency among IDPs compared to refugees, alongside those with pre-existing mental health conditions, compared to those without.
In their paper, the researchers concluded: “Mental health and psychosocial support must be prioritised within humanitarian relief for both IDPs, and refugees and especially among people with underlying mental health conditions.”
Sources: Neuroscience News, PLOS Global