War and well-being: Mental health, sleep, and coping among Ukrainians at home and abroad

OBJECTIVES: This study examined mental health outcomes, sleep quality, coping strategies, and psychological states among Ukrainian nationals during wartime conditions, with particular attention to differences between individuals who remained within Ukraine and those who relocated abroad. The investigation aimed to identify key psychological predictors of mental health to inform targeted interventions during protracted crisis situation. METHODS: Pearson's correlation coefficients were computed to assess associations between mental health indicators and psychological variables. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to examine differences across mental health levels. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) compared groups based on geographic location. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify primary predictors of mental health outcomes. RESULTS: Mental health status among Ukrainians was relatively low: 46.6% of the sample reported low levels of mental health. Individuals residing abroad demonstrated significantly higher tolerance of uncertainty compared to those remaining in Ukraine (M = 65.91 vs. 64.75) and exhibited greater utilization of task-oriented coping strategies (M = 59.11 vs. 54.97). Mental health demonstrated significant negative correlations with anxiety (r = -0.604), frustration (r = -0.612), rigidity (r = -0.500), and emotion-oriented coping (r = -0.524), insomnia (r = -0.367), while showing positive associations with task-oriented coping (r = 0.357) and stress resilience (r = -0.396). Multiple regression analysis identified avoidance coping (β = 0.251) and stress resilience (β = -0.183) as positive predictors, whereas frustration (β = -0.188), emotion-oriented coping (β = -0.199), and anxiety (β = -0.194) emerged as negative predictors of mental health. Psychological states varied by mental health level: participants with low mental health reported the highest anxiety, frustration, aggressiveness, rigidity, insomnia, and lowest resilience. This subgroup demonstrated predominant reliance on emotion-oriented strategies. CONCLUSIONS: With 46.6% of Ukrainians showing low mental health and only 21.6% reporting high mental health, these findings highlight the urgent need for differentiated psychological support during wartime.