The mental functioning of school-age children in Poland since the outbreak of war in Ukraine and during the subsequent refugee crisis

Andrzej Śliwerski; Karolina Kossakowska

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106500

The mental functioning of school-age children in Poland since the outbreak of war in Ukraine and during the subsequent refugee crisis

Child Abuse Negl. 2023 Oct 11:106500. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106500. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Andrzej Śliwerski¹, Karolina Kossakowska²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Psychology, University of Łódź, al. Rodziny Scheiblerów 2, 90-128 Łódź, Poland. Electronic address: andrzej.sliwerski@uni.lodz.pl.
² Institute of Psychology, University of Łódź, al. Rodziny Scheiblerów 2, 90-128 Łódź, Poland.

PMID: 37833119
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106500

Abstract

Background: There is growing body of research focusing on the functioning of children who have fled from war-torn areas. However, there is currently lack of data regarding the functioning of children residing in host countries.

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the presence of emotional problems, negative attitudes, interpersonal problems, and functional difficulties among Polish children during the first month after the outbreak of war and initial phase of the current refugee crisis.

Participants and method: The study group comprised children aged 9-15 (N = 360), living in Poland. The Children's Depression Inventory 2 (CDI-2) and The Cognitive Triad Inventory for Children (CTIC) was used to measure emotional functioning. The study took place 7 to 39 days after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

Results: The children reported more emotional problems (t₍₃₅₉₎ = 9.340; p < .001; d = 0.49) with a negative mood (t₍₃₅₉₎ = 6.692; p < .001; d = 0.35) and negative self-esteem (t₍₃₅₉₎ = 9.632; p < .001; d = 0.51). The severity of depression symptoms was the highest in the first week after the outbreak of the war (F_(5,354) = 2.472; p < .05; η² = 0.03). The view of the self (F_(1,358) = 3.858; p = .05; R² = 0.01) and of the world (F_(1,358) = 5.359; p < .05; R² = 0.02) improved over time; however, their vision of the future remained unchanged.

Conclusion: The results shows that children who are not directly affected by the war can also display difficulties in mental functioning. In the initial months following the outbreak of the war and during the early stage of the current refugee crisis, Polish children demonstrated significantly higher levels of emotional problems and negative self-esteem. Moreover, the perception of oneself and the world appeared to be influenced by the duration since the onset of the war.

Keywords: Cognitive triad; Depression; Refugee crisis; War conflict.