Risks of anxiety evelopment in children and adolescents under the social-stressful conditions of war
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26641/2307-0404.2025.4.348344Keywords:
mental health, psycho-emotional state, anxiety factors, neurotic manifestations, fears, clinical psychologyAbstract
War certainly always creates socio-stressful conditions, causes significant damage to mental health and creates obstacles to the comprehensive development of children, one of which is anxiety. Therefore, identifying the risks of developing anxiety in children and adolescents will contribute to early intervention and prevention of negative consequences, the implementation of appropriate restorative measures to strengthen and preserve mental health. The aim of the study was to identify key factors associated with the development of anxiety in children and adolescents living in Ukraine during the period of active hostilities. The study involved 489 individuals aged 8 to 18 who experienced a traumatic event during the full-scale invasion in Ukraine. Demographic variables of respondents were collected using the “School-age Child Integration Questionnaire.” To measure the level of anxiety and other manifestations of a neurotic state (in particular, sleep disturbances, autonomic disorders, behavioral disorders, signs of depression and asthenia), the “Children's Neurosis Questionnaire” by V. Siedniev was used. The results of univariate regression analysis showed that the main factors that increase the risk of anxiety in children and adolescents who experienced acute stress during the war, are: female gender, age, feeling of discomfort in the family, lack of a favorable model of family relationships to inherit, limited circle of friends at school, misunderstanding of their own positive character traits, doubts about negative character traits. The results of multivariate analysis revealed the following independent predictors of the anxiety development: female gender, age, feeling of discomfort in the family, lack of a favorable model of family relationships to inherit, misunderstanding of their own positive character traits, doubts about negative character traits, fear of terrible dreams, fear of animals and fairy-tale characters. A predictive model has been developed that allows, with sufficient accuracy: sensitivity (67.4%; 95% CI 56.7% – 77%) and specificity (71%; 95% CI 66.3% – 75.4%), to assess the risk of developing anxiety in children and adolescents. This ensures early detection of disorders and the formation of a clear plan of recovery measures, which must necessarily include a family-oriented approach.
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