Children’s mental health during wartime: risk and protective factors

Since the start of the large-scale invasion, a team of researchers from the Laboratory of the Social Determinants of Population Health has been carrying out research on the impact of war on the health of Ukrainian children. A separate part of this research is dedicated to identifying risk and protective factors for mental health.

Between 2022 and 2025, more than 7,000 parents of schoolchildren from different regions of Ukraine were surveyed.

The most acute situation with regard to children’s mental health indicators was observed in 2022–2023:

  • 12-16% of children had symptoms of anxiety disorders (almost twice as many as before 2020).
  • 28-29% of children had symptoms of depressive disorders (3.6 times more than before 2020).

A positive trend emerged in 2024: the level of anxiety in children returned to pre-pandemic levels (about 9% of children); the proportion of children with depressive symptoms decreased to 17%, but this is still twice as high as before the war.

In 2025, the proportion of children with anxiety symptoms decreased further to 6%, but the proportion of children with depressive symptoms remained at the 2024 level (16.5%).

Multivariate analysis was used to identify risk factors and protective factors for children’s mental health:

Risk factors for children’s mental health are:

  • anxiety and depression in parents,
  • chronic illness in the child,
  • lack of a stable place to study at home (during distance learning),
  • specific war factors, such as separation from family, shelling, lack of basic needs for food, water, heat, and light.

Protective factors for children’s mental health include:

  • sufficient sleep (about 8 hours per day for high school students, 9 hours for middle school students, 10 hours for elementary school students),
  • regular physical activity (at least 60 minutes daily—sports, dancing, active games, i.e., moderate to high-intensity physical activity),
  • walks in the fresh air at least 5 days a week (at least 50 minutes per outing),
  • daily personal communication with friends, peers, and family
  • social support;
  • psychological tools at school, in particular, so-called «psychological moments» (breathing exercises, music therapy, etc.).

So, what can adults do to preserve children’s mental health?

  • Parents — take care of their own mental health, maintain a daily routine for their children, organize a permanent place for children to study at home, and maintain active communication.
  • Educators — introduce psychological practices during the learning process, create a friendly and safe environment in educational institutions.
  • Local authorities should organize sports and social events and support families with children.
  • Medical professionals should inform the public and implement preventive measures to preserve and strengthen children’s health.

More detailed information is available at the following links:

Together, we can do more to protect children’s mental health!

(date of publication on the website 17.09.2025)