Life satisfaction and psychological resilience among university students during wartime

Background and Aim of Study: The war in Ukraine is having a significant impact on the mental health of all its residents. This is particularly noticeable among young university students, who are forced to seek refuge both within and outside the country during their studies. The aim of the study: to identify the characteristics of life satisfaction and psychological resilience among university students in different learning environments during wartime. Material and Methods: The study was conducted at Uzhhorod National University in Ukraine in May 2025. It used the Google Forms platform to administer two psychological tests: the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10 (CD-RISC 10). Respondents aged 18–35 were divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 116 students, 21.6% of whom were male and 78.4% of whom were female. None of them has changed their place of residence (Ukraine). Group 2 consisted of 108 students, 19.4% of whom were male and 80.6% of whom were female. They were all forced to relocate to other regions, including Ukraine and the European Union. Results: Both groups of students showed high internal consistency in their SWLS and CD-RISC 10 scores (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.856 to 0.929). Students in Group 1 report levels of extreme and general dissatisfaction with life that are almost 1.4 times higher than those in Group 2. However, this indicator is significantly higher among men than women. This suggests that their psychological well-being is poor. On average, students in Group 1 are 25.5% more psychologically resilient than those in Group 2, who are 23.6% resilient. Furthermore, the proportion of students in Group 2 who have low psychological resilience is almost double that in Group 1. In terms of gender characteristics, women in Group 1 demonstrate higher levels of psychological resilience (29.7%), whereas men in Group 2 demonstrate lower levels (14.3%). These are the highest levels observed across all gender groups. Conclusions: A positive strong correlation (r=0.811) has been found between psychological resilience and life satisfaction among university students during wartime, confirming high convergent validity. However, there was a significant decrease in psychological resilience among students in Group 2, who had relatively low levels of life satisfaction. Therefore, it is necessary to develop programmes that actively promote psychological intervention and social support to improve the mental well-being and learning effectiveness of university students.