Suicidal thoughts and behavioural disorders: how prolonged war is affecting Ukrainian children's mental health

The war is causing Ukrainian children and teenagers to suffer from a range of mental health issues, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Suicidal ideation is more common among girls, while boys are primarily affected by behavioural disorders. Over 10% of adolescents who experienced both the start of Russian aggression and the full-scale invasion have attempted suicide.

Source: MedicalXpress, citing a review of scientific studies on the mental health of Ukrainian children and adolescents, published in BMJ Global Health

Details: An international team of researchers, led by the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry at the University of Turku in Finland, analysed the results of 37 studies. These were published between 2020 and 2024, covering periods both before and after the full-scale invasion.

All the studies showed that children and teenagers aged 0 to 19 are suffering from a range of mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, behavioural disorders, suicidal thoughts and self-harm.

Although prevalence rates varied, the overall conclusion was the same: prolonged exposure to war is causing serious psychological harm.

Teenagers who experienced both phases of the war – the start of Russian aggression in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022 – exhibited higher levels of psychological stress.

Over 10% of these teenagers had attempted suicide. Among their peers who had not been exposed to the war, the rate was just 4%. This highlights the destructive cumulative impact of the conflict on young people's mental health.

Girls reported suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts and self-harm more often than boys, while behavioural disorders were more prevalent among boys.

Children from regions most affected by the war were at increased risk of developing moderate to severe mental health symptoms, including suicidal ideation and self-harm.

In addition, children who had been forcibly relocated, had experienced violence, had divorced parents or had lost loved ones were particularly vulnerable.

"Where children ended up mattered. Forced relocation to another country was linked to higher risks of mental health problems, while internal displacement was associated with greater resilience, possibly because children remained within familiar cultural and social environments," said study co-author Sanju Silwal.

Family relationships also played an important role. Harmful parenting practices or low parental involvement were associated with behavioural disorders and bullying, while a supportive family environment provided children with some protection against these issues.

Many of the studies analysed received low or medium quality ratings, reflecting how difficult it is to conduct rigorous long-term research during an active war. Nevertheless, they are important for understanding the situation.

Background: A survey by the sociological group Rating showed that last year in Ukraine, up to 40% of children experienced a high level of stress.

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