Mental health of preadolescents in western Ukraine: feasibility and acceptability of a school-based psychosocial intervention during war
Abstract
Background: Children living in conflict zones experience high levels of psychological distress. Schools can provide an accessible setting for support, yet evidence on the effectiveness of school-based interventions in active war contexts remains limited. Objectives: To evaluate children’s well-being and internal coping resources during the war in Ukraine and to examine the feasibility of a school-based program designed to enhance psychological well-being in preadolescents. Participants and setting: The study involved 81 children aged 10–12 years from schools in Lviv, Ukraine. Methods: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, quality of life, self-compassion, and mindfulness traits were assessed using standard questionnaires and validated psychometric scales. The intervention program, delivered at school, focused on mindfulness, self-compassion, social connection, sense of purpose, and trauma processing. Acceptability and perceived impact were explored post-intervention among children, families, and school staff. Results: 42% of children reported four or more ACEs. 39.5% of children exceeded the clinical cutoff for probable PTSD on the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale CRIES-8, with differences observed between boys and girls. Higher levels of self-compassion and mindfulness were associated with lower PTSD symptoms. Children, families, and school staff reported improvements in children’s well-being, emotion regulation, and social functioning after the intervention. Conclusions: Our work provides preliminary evidence of the feasibility and acceptability of a school-based intervention designed to promote children’s psychological well-being and mental health during ongoing war, with positive perceived impacts reported by children, families, and school staff. Interventions incorporating mindfulness and self-compassion training may represent promising approaches for reducing trauma-related symptoms in children exposed to adversity. Larger controlled studies using standardized measures are needed to assess effectiveness before broader dissemination can be considered.
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BibTeX
@misc{avramchuk2026mental,
title = {{Mental health of preadolescents in western Ukraine: feasibility and acceptability of a school-based psychosocial intervention during war}},
author = {Oleksandr Avramchuk and Olha Germanovych and Olha Ivanenko and Olga Uralova and Marina Lisenberg and Olena Mukha and Yuliya Stadnytska and Richard Davidson and Perla Kaliman},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/q38hg_v3},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/q38hg_v3/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Mental health of preadolescents in western Ukraine: feasibility and acceptability of a school-based psychosocial intervention during war
AU - Oleksandr Avramchuk
AU - Olha Germanovych
AU - Olha Ivanenko
AU - Olga Uralova
AU - Marina Lisenberg
AU - Olena Mukha
AU - Yuliya Stadnytska
AU - Richard Davidson
AU - Perla Kaliman
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/q38hg_v3
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/q38hg_v3/
AB - Background: Children living in conflict zones experience high levels of psychological distress. Schools can provide an accessible setting for support, yet evidence on the effectiveness of school-based interventions in active war contexts remains limited. Objectives: To evaluate children’s well-being and internal coping resources during the war in Ukraine and to examine the feasibility of a school-based program designed to enhance psychological well-being in preadolescents. Participants and setting: The study involved 81 children aged 10–12 years from schools in Lviv, Ukraine. Methods: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, quality of life, self-compassion, and mindfulness traits were assessed using standard questionnaires and validated psychometric scales. The intervention program, delivered at school, focused on mindfulness, self-compassion, social connection, sense of purpose, and trauma processing. Acceptability and perceived impact were explored post-intervention among children, families, and school staff. Results: 42% of children reported four or more ACEs. 39.5% of children exceeded the clinical cutoff for probable PTSD on the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale CRIES-8, with differences observed between boys and girls. Higher levels of self-compassion and mindfulness were associated with lower PTSD symptoms. Children, families, and school staff reported improvements in children’s well-being, emotion regulation, and social functioning after the intervention. Conclusions: Our work provides preliminary evidence of the feasibility and acceptability of a school-based intervention designed to promote children’s psychological well-being and mental health during ongoing war, with positive perceived impacts reported by children, families, and school staff. Interventions incorporating mindfulness and self-compassion training may represent promising approaches for reducing trauma-related symptoms in children exposed to adversity. Larger controlled studies using standardized measures are needed to assess effectiveness before broader dissemination can be considered.
ER -