Helping the Helpers: Mental Health Challenges of Psychosocial Support Workers During the Russian-Ukrainian War

• Published in: Disaster medicine and public health preparedness 2024-06, Vol.18, p.e95-e95, Article e95
• Main Authors: Kang, Hun, Fischer, Ian C., Esterlis, Irina, Kolyshkina, Alla, Ponomarenko, Liudmyla, Chobanian, Anna, Vus, Viktor, Pietrzak, Robert H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Burnout; Burnout, Professional - epidemiology; Burnout, Professional - etiology; Burnout, Professional - psychology; Female; Females; Health problems; Humans; Male; Medical personnel; Mental disorders; Mental Health - statistics & numerical data; Mental health care; Middle Aged; NGOs; Nongovernmental organizations; Optimism; Post traumatic stress disorder; Prevalence; Professionals; Psychosocial Support Systems; Regression analysis; Russia - epidemiology; Sociodemographics; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - etiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Suicidal behavior; Suicidal Ideation; Surveys and Questionnaires; Ukraine - epidemiology; Ukraine conflict collection; Variables; War; Workers
• ISSN: 1935-7893; 1938-744X
• DOI: 10.1017/dmp.2024.68

The ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war has been linked to mental health problems in the Ukrainian general population. To date, however, scarce research has examined the mental health of psychosocial support workers (PSWs) in Ukraine who have a burdensome workload in the context of ongoing conflict. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and correlates of burnout, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal ideation (SI) in PSWs in Ukraine during the Russian-Ukrainian war. One hundred seventy-eight PSWs in Ukraine completed a survey assessing war exposure, mental health, and psychosocial characteristics. A total 59.6% of PSWs screened positive for burnout, 38.2% for PTSD, and 10.7% for current SI. Lower optimism was associated with greater odds of burnout. Greater distress from witnessing war-related destruction, lower optimism, lower presence of meaning in life, and lower levels of close social relationships were associated with greater odds of burnout. Lower presence of meaning in life was associated with greater odds of SI. Results of this study highlight the mental health challenges faced by PSWs in Ukraine during the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. They further suggest that interventions to foster meaning in life and promote social connectedness may "help the helpers" during this ongoing conflict.