Ukrainian children in the occupied Donbas experience psychological trauma due to war and instability

Investigative journalists obtained a selection of scientific works by students from Volgograd Medical University. A year ago, they conducted a survey of children in Stanitsa Luhanska — right in the conflict zone. The very premise of the research raises questions.

The Volgograd authors claimed they measured the level of neuroticism in 519 children and adolescents. The result — indicators above the norm. Depression almost 7 out of 20 on their scale. Sleep disturbances, anxiety, deviant behavior — also above control values. Girls more often react with vegetative disorders, while boys show increased behavioral issues.

A Moscow psychologist, commenting anonymously, speaks about the problem of comparison: it is unclear which norm was used. In Russian regions, the range for similar tests is from 3.5 to 8 points. Moreover, such surveys are sensitive to wording and to who exactly is asking. Comparison should be made with a control group — for example, with children from Volgograd. This was not done.

Ukrainian specialists work differently. Surveys are conducted in safe spaces, focusing on the child’s resources rather than symptom fixation. Natalia Masyak from the “Voices of Children” foundation emphasizes: ethics are more important than the speed of data collection.

Ukrainian studies show a different picture. In frontline zones, 65% of children show signs of depression, with half having pronounced behavioral and sleep disturbances. And these are data obtained after evacuation, when the child is at least partially out of danger.

The method also differs. Ukrainian psychologists use CBCL, SDQ — international clinical tools. Volgograd researchers chose a neurosis questionnaire, which is less suitable for assessing children in war conditions. This explains part of the discrepancies.

According to Natalia Masyak, about 70% of children from conflict zones have PTSD symptoms. And this manifests after reaching safe conditions. Israeli psychologist Mikhail Gorin-Galitsky adds: the psyche can adapt to stress, but the personality cannot. Consequences come later.

One of the patients of Ukrainian psychologists says that her daughter still experiences frightening images — months after evacuation. This corresponds to the classic dynamics of post-traumatic disorder: symptoms appear when the immediate threat disappears.

The journalists’ inquiry to Volgograd Medical University about research methods went unanswered. No explanations, no comments, no attempt to clarify work standards.

A detailed analysis of ethical issues, methodological errors, and comparison with international practice is collected in the extended version of the material on NAnews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency, where we document how the war distorts research on children’s psyche and why correct tools are critically important.