Well-being of mental health workers during the Russian-Ukrainian War

Hun Kang; Ian C.  Fischer; Viktor Vus; Anna Chobanian; Alla Kolyshkina; Liudmyla Ponomarenko; Irina  Esterlis; Robert H.  Pietrzak

doi:10.56508/mhgcj.v7i1.189

Authors

Hun Kang Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5312-1493
Ian C. Fischer U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7343-071X
Viktor Vus Institute for Social and Political Psychology https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1042-5323
Anna Chobanian Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko
Alla Kolyshkina Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko
Liudmyla Ponomarenko Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko
Irina Esterlis U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, West Haven, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6293-1458
Robert H. Pietrzak Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5561-6414

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56508/mhgcj.v7i1.189

Keywords:

well-being, mental health, war, epidemiology, mental health professionals

Abstract

Introduction: While the detrimental impact of the Russian-Ukrainian War on mental health of Ukrainian population has been well-documented, less attention has been given to mental health workers (MHWs) providing mental health support services amid the war.

Purpose: To examine levels of domain-specific well-being in Ukrainian MHWs; identify and quantify the relative importance of factors associated with well-being; and examine interactions of risk and protective factors in relation to each well-being domain.

Methodology: A convenience sample of 178 MHWs completed a survey that assessed their well-being, and sociodemographic, war-related, mental health, and psychosocial characteristics.

Results: Lower levels of mental health difficulties such as anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptoms, and higher levels of psychosocial factors such as higher optimism, gratitude, and presence and search for meaning were associated with higher well-being. MHWs with high levels of protective psychosocial factors were more likely to report higher well-being even in the presence of mental health difficulties.

Conclusions: Results of this study provide insight into the levels and correlates of multiple well-being domains among Ukrainian MHWs amid the ongoing war. They further suggest that interventions to mitigate mental health difficulties and bolster protective psychosocial factors may help promote well-being in this population

Author Biographies

Hun Kang, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA

Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven

Ian C. Fischer, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, West Haven, USA

Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, USA

Viktor Vus, Institute for Social and Political Psychology

Department of Small Group Psychology, Institute of Social and Political Psychology, National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine

Anna Chobanian, Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko

Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko, Sumy, Ukraine

Alla Kolyshkina, Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko

Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko, Sumy, Ukraine

Liudmyla Ponomarenko, Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko

Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko, Sumy, Ukraine

Irina Esterlis, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, West Haven, USA

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, West Haven, USA

Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, USA

Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, USA

Robert H. Pietrzak, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA

Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences;

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, USA;

Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, USA

References

Al Hariri, M., Hamade, B., Bizri, M., Salman, O., Tamim, H., & Al Jalbout, N. (2022). Psychological impact of COVID-19 on emergency department healthcare workers in a tertiary care center during a national economic crisis. American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 51, 342-347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2021.10.055 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2021.10.055

Altura, K. C., Patten, S. B., Fiest, K. M., Atta, C., Bulloch, A. G., & Jette, N. (2016). Suicidal ideation in persons with neurological conditions: Prevalence, associations and validation of the PHQ-9 for suicidal ideation. General Hospital Psychiatry, 42, 22-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2016.06.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2016.06.006

Awan, S., Diwan, M. N., Aamir, A., Allahuddin, Z., Irfan, M., Carano, A., Vellante, F., Ventriglio, A., Fornaro, M., Valchera, A., Pettorruso, M., Martinotti, G., Di Giannantonio, M., Ullah, I., & De Berardis, D. (2021). Suicide in healthcare workers: Determinants, challenges, and the impact of COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 792925. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.792925 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.792925

Ben-Ezra, M., Goodwin, R., Leshem, E., & Hamama-Raz, Y. (2023). PTSD symptoms among civilians being displaced inside and outside the Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion. Psychiatry Research, 320, 115011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2022.115011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2022.115011

Czyzowska, N., & Gurba, E. (2021). Enhancing meaning in life and psychological well-being among a European cohort of young adults via a gratitude intervention. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 751081. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.751081 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.751081

Geier, T. J., Hunt, J. C., Hanson, J. L., Heyrman, K., Larsen, S. E., Brasel, K. J., & deRoon-Cassini, T. A. (2020). Validation of abbreviated four- and eight-item versions of the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 in a traumatically injured sample. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 33(3), 218-226. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22478 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22478

Inter-Agency Standing Committee. (2007). IASC guidelines on mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings.

Kang, H., Esterlis, I., Chobanian, A. V., Boriak, O., Pietrzak, R. H., & Vus, V. (2023). Perceived mental health of psychosocial support professionals in Ukraine. Psychiatry Research, 326, 115320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115320 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115320

Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. (2003). The Patient Health Questionnaire-2: Validity of a two-item depression screener. Medical Care, 41(11), 1284-1292. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.MLR.0000093487.78664.3C DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.MLR.0000093487.78664.3C

Litz, B. T. (2014). Resilience in the aftermath of war trauma: A critical review and commentary. Interface Focus, 4(5), 20140008. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2014.0008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2014.0008

Lushchak, O., Velykodna, M., Bolman, S., Strilbytska, O., Berezovskyi, V., & Storey, K. B. (2024). Prevalence of stress, anxiety, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder among Ukrainians after the first year of Russian invasion: A nationwide cross-sectional study. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 36, 100773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100773 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100773

McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. A. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(1), 112-127. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.82.1.112 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.82.1.112

Osokina, O., Silwal, S., Bohdanova, T., Hodes, M., Sourander, A., & Skokauskas, N. (2023). Impact of the Russian invasion on mental health of adolescents in Ukraine. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 62(3), 335-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2022.07.845 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2022.07.845

Ostafin, B. D., & Proulx, T. (2020). Meaning in life and resilience to stressors. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 33(6), 603-622. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2020.1800655 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2020.1800655

Pavlova, I., Graf-Vlachy, L., Petrytsa, P., Wang, S., & Zhang, S. X. (2022). Early evidence on the mental health of Ukrainian civilian and professional combatants during the Russian invasion. European Psychiatry, 65(1), e79. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.2335 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.2335

Pinchuk, I., Goto, R., Pimenova, N., Kolodezhny, O., Guerrero, A. P. S., & Skokauskas, N. (2022). Mental health of helpline staff in Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion. European Psychiatry, 65(1), e45. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.2306 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.2306

Rosales Vaca, K. M., Cruz Barrientos, O. I., Giron Lopez, S., Noriega, S., More Arias, A., Guariente, S. M. M., & Zazula, R. (2022). Mental health of healthcare workers of Latin American countries: A review of studies published during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry Research, 311, 114501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114501 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114501

Sapra, A., Bhandari, P., Sharma, S., Chanpura, T., & Lopp, L. (2020). Using Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2) and GAD-7 in a primary care setting. Cureus, 12(5), e8224. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.8224 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.8224

Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., & Bridges, M. W. (1994). Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): A reevaluation of the Life Orientation Test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(6), 1063-1078. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.67.6.1063 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.67.6.1063

Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80-93. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80

Tonidandel, S., & LeBreton, J. M. (2011). Relative importance analysis: A useful supplement to regression analysis. Journal of Business and Psychology, 26(1), 1-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-010-9204-3

van Agteren, J., Bartholomaeus, J., Steains, E., Lo, L., & Gerace, A. (2021). Using a technology-based meaning and purpose intervention to improve well-being: A randomised controlled study. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22, 3571-3591. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-021-00383-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-021-00383-4

VanderWeele, T. J. (2017). On the promotion of human flourishing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(31), 8148-8156. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702996114 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702996114

West, C. P., Dyrbye, L. N., Satele, D. V., Sloan, J. A., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2012). Concurrent validity of single-item measures of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization in burnout assessment. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 27(11), 1445-1452. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-012-2015-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-012-2015-7