Psychological distress and healthy lifestyle among university students in wartime

Abstract

Background and Aim of Study: The war in Ukraine, which is still ongoing, has a significant impact on the mental state of each individual. The same applies to university students forced to seek refuge inside or outside the country. The aim of the study: to identify the characteristics of psychological distress experienced by university students in a war context and the role of a healthy lifestyle in overcoming it. Material and Methods: The study was conducted by Uzhhorod National University (Ukraine) in February 2025, involving the administration of adapted DASS-21 and HPLP-II psychological tests via the Google Forms platform. The respondents, aged between 18 and 35, were divided into two groups: those who were forced to relocate to other regions (European Union and Ukraine) and those who did not change their place of residence (Ukraine). Psychological distress and healthy lifestyle behaviours among students in wartime were identified using the DASS and HPLP-II. These tools demonstrated high internal consistency, with values ranging from 0.916 to 0.951. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between psychological distress and health-promoting lifestyles. Results: The levels of depression and anxiety were significantly higher among students in Group 1 than among those in Group 2. The study revealed the following gender-related findings: high average scores on the Depression and Anxiety scales (13.4 and 12.3 points, respectively) among women in Group 1; high average scores on the Stress scale (12.4 and 12.1 points, respectively) among men in all groups. The following healthy lifestyle practices play an important role in helping both groups to overcome the symptoms of psychological distress: interpersonal relationships (2.8 / 3.0 points), spiritual growth (2.8 / 2.9 points), and stress management (2.6 / 2.7 points). They had high and moderate HPLP-II scores. Students in Groups 1 and 2 demonstrated poor use of practices such as taking responsibility for their health (2.15 and 2.23 points), being physically active (2.2 and 2.3 points) and eating healthily (2.3 and 2.4 points). They had low HPLP-II scores. Conclusions: The high levels of depression and anxiety experienced by university students during the war were caused by a combination of psychogenic factors and their own behaviour. It does not promote mental health. The study results indicate the need to introduce measures that increase motivation for personal health and physical activity among university students, tailored to their specific requirements and needs.