Ukraine study finds 31.2% of civilian adults have PTSD or CPTSD

A study published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology reveals that 31.2% of civilian adults living in government-controlled regions of Ukraine meet the clinical criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex PTSD (CPTSD).

The research, which included a nationally representative survey of 2,504 adult residents, indicates that 25.2% of respondents met the criteria for PTSD, while 6% met the criteria for CPTSD, a more severe condition often resulting from prolonged or repeated trauma.

Key risk factors identified include female gender, older age, lower educational attainment, past military service, displacement, and high cumulative trauma exposure. The psychological burden is attributed to continuous shelling, displacement, bereavement, and the destruction of communities following the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Despite these conditions, researchers noted that many Ukrainians continue to function and adapt under extraordinary circumstances.