Sense of danger, sense of country's mastery, and sense of personal mastery as concomitants of psychological distress and subjective well-being in a sample of Poles following Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Prospective analyses.

Publisher: Blackwell Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101502957 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1758-0854 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17580854 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Appl Psychol Health Well Being Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Oxford : Blackwell

Psychological Distress*; Humans ; Ukraine ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Russia ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Adaptation, Psychological ; Young Adult ; Personal Satisfaction ; COVID-19/psychology ; Stress, Psychological/psychology ; Resilience, Psychological

This study investigated psychological toll of the ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine in a sample of adult Poles (N = 1245). Data were collected online in early February and August 2022. Prospective analyses that accounted for psychological health status assessed before the Russian invasion showed that higher levels of sense of danger due to the war predicted higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of affect balance close to 6 months after Russia attacked Ukraine. Sense of country's mastery (i.e. beliefs that government, its major institutions, and citizens would effectively cope with various emergencies and crises) served as a protective factor. Likewise, Poles who had confidence in their personal mastery (e.g., beliefs in ability to exercise control over life challenges) exhibited less distress and more subjective well-being. These findings emerged after controlling for sociodemographic factors, the presence of stressful experiences associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and other life events. Wars dramatically reverberate beyond the borders of the countries involved. People's own sense of mastery and their trust in the resilience of their governmental and public institutions are critical in times of coping with existential security threats and wars.
(© 2023 International Association of Applied Psychology.)

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Grant OPUS-19 grant No. 2020/37/B/HS6/02957 Polish National Science Centre (Narodowe Centrum Nauki)

Keywords: Russian‐Ukrainian war; mastery; psychological distress; sense of danger; societal resilience

Date Created: 20230828 Date Completed: 20240812 Latest Revision: 20240812

20240813

10.1111/aphw.12483

37640052