Intergenerational PTSD transmission resulting from russian invasion of Ukraine

Abstract

The merciless War against Ukraine, which started by a terrorist state – russia in 2014, has had a significant impact on the whole Ukrainian population. As a consequence of this invasion, not only hundreds, thousands, but millions of civilians became innocent victims. The surviving population is likely to suffer from long-lasting emotional and physical consequences. The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among parents and children who have been affected by the debilitating war, as well as the outcomes it caused for parent/child interconnections within the family. For this purpose, utilizing the system dynamics approach there has been developed a model that portrays the key drivers of PTSD, as well as main interconnections between children’s and parents’ mental health. Our model reveals the mechanisms that can be used to mitigate the negative impact of the war on people’s mental health, emphasizing the crucial importance of the healthcare system capacity, people’s awareness in attending PTSD treatment (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), along with resource allocation. Despite several limitation in our work, our model suggests a few scenarios, which can aid in reduction of the PTSD level among Ukrainian population. Furthermore, this work provided support for the existing theoretical framework about children and parents interconnections within the family and its influence on their mental health and potential development of PTSD.