A decade of Russian aggression, followed by a full-scale invasion in February 2022, has placed a profound psychological burden on the population. Many people continue to face the threat of shelling, displacement, bereavement and uncertainty in their daily lives, highlighting the urgent need for sustained mental health support. And, what stands out most from these findings is the sheer scale of trauma exposure.
Dr Deirdre MacManus, Clinical Reader in Forensic Psychiatry, IoPPN
30 September 2026
Nearly one-third of Ukrainian civilians meet criteria for PTSD or complex PTSD
Findings from this national survey confirm that PTSD is a common difficulty among Ukrainian civilians, providing one of the clearest estimates of the psychological impact of the ongoing war.
Published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, the study analysed data from a nationally representative survey of civilians living in government-controlled regions of Ukraine. The prevalence estimates indicate a substantial mental health burden in the general, civilian population. Researchers found that 25.2% of participants met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while an additional 6.0% met criteria for complex PTSD (CPTSD), resulting in a combined prevalence of 31.2% amongst participants.
People living in conflict zones face a heightened risk of traumatic experiences, such as physical violence, forced displacement and the loss of loved ones. PTSD can develop after experiencing or witnessing trauma, causing persistent symptoms including intrusive memories, anxiety, irritability and sleep problems. CPTSD is a related but more severe condition that typically follows prolonged or repeated trauma, such as chronic abuse or captivity.
The research was conducted through a large telephone survey of 2,504 randomly selected adults living in regions controlled by the Government of Ukraine. Participants were asked about their lifetime exposure to traumatic events, experiences related to the war since the 2022 invasion, and symptoms of PTSD and CPTSD based on the ICD-11 diagnostic framework. Statistical analyses examined how demographic characteristics and trauma exposure influenced the likelihood of developing PTSD or CPTSD. In the paper, researchers note that these responses were self-reported, and this may have an impact on the results.
Dr MacManus continued, “The vast majority of people we surveyed had experienced multiple traumatic events across their lives, and many had also been directly affected by the ongoing war through displacement, bereavement, destruction of their communities, or concern for loved ones. Despite this, many Ukrainians continue to function and adapt in extraordinarily challenging circumstances.”
Being female, older in age, lower in educational attainment, having previous military service, experiencing displacement due to the war and a greater number of lifetime traumatic events were associated with a greater likelihood of meeting the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD. The only factor specifically associated with CPTSD rather than PTSD was not being in a relationship.
It is important to keep in mind that PTSD and CPTSD are not limited to veterans or people close to combat zone but also are widespread among other categories of people heavily affected by the war, such as Internally Displaced Persons, people who suffered from missiles and drones attacking their cities and towns far from frontline, and those taking care of wounded or traumatized people.
Professor Volodymyr Kulyk, Department of Social Sciences, Kyiv School of Economics
The research was conducted by researchers from King’s College London, Kyiv School of Economics, The George Washington University; The University of Manchester; The Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS); and Combat Stress, the UK’s leading mental health charity for veterans. The study was initiated by the research network “Conflict and Cooperation in Eastern Europe” (KonKoop), led by Professor Gwendolyn Sasse (ZOiS) and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.
One finding we found particularly interesting was that PTSD was much more common than Complex PTSD in this representative national sample. This may suggest that psychological responses to ongoing war do not always fit neatly into models developed in post-conflict settings. When the threat remains active and unpredictable, the ways people experience and adapt to traumatic stress may be different, and this is an important area for future research.
Dr Emma Facer-Irwin, Clinical Psychologist Lecturer, IoPPN
As the data was collected at a single point in time during the conflict, the findings represent a snapshot of the population’s mental health, rather than how things can change over time. However, it is clear from findings that there is a significant mental health impact on civilians, with PTSD representing a major public health challenge during the ongoing conflict.
‘Prevalence of exposure to lifetime and war-related traumas, PTSD and complex PTSD in a sample from the Ukrainian general population’ by Facer-Irwin, E., Short, R., Murphy, D., Onuch, O., Hale, H. E., Kulyk, V., … MacManus, D. was published in European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2026.2697563
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