Keywords
post-traumatic reaction
war in Ukraine
health status
How to Cite
Abstract
In press
Background. The war in Ukraine has led to the development of a wide spectrum of post-traumatic reactions. However, the prevalence and manifestations of these reactions among children, as well as their impact on somatic health, remain insufficiently studied.
Aim. To investigate the patterns of post-traumatic reactions in children living in the frontline city of Kharkiv and to assess their association with somatic manifestations.
Materials and Methods. The responses of 2,336 respondents (parents of children living in Kharkiv) were analyzed. The data were collected between September 1, 2025, and November 10, 2025, using the following questionnaires: Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) – a standardized questionnaire for assessing traumatic experiences and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents aged [3–17] years (parent/caregiver report version), and the Children’s Somatic Symptoms Inventory (CSSI) – a questionnaire used to identify somatic symptoms in children. Statistical processing was performed using Excel 2019 (Microsoft, USA) and SPSS (IBM, USA). Descriptive statistics, Student's t-test, Fisher's angular transformation (φ), and Pearson correlation analysis were applied. The difference was considered significant at p<0.05. The study is a fragment of the planned research work of the State Institution "Institute for Children and Adolescents Health Care at the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine" (2024–2026), state registration number 0123U103127.
Research Ethics. The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (1964–2024), Directive 86/609 of the European Society concerning human participation in biomedical research, and Order No.690 of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine dated September 23, 2009. All participants provided informed consent.
Results. Traumatic events for children in Kharkiv included: living during wartime, witnessing military actions, seeing weapons, and hearing sirens and explosions (68.62%); domestic injuries and medical interventions (21.20%); psychological pressure (9.27%); and loss of loved ones or lack of information about them (0.92%). Signs of moderate trauma were identified in 12.79% of children, while probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was observed in 16.01%, more frequently in girls and in children older than 7 years (pφ < 0.05). Somatic manifestations included headaches (60.88%), abdominal pain (41.01%), nausea (36.30%), tachycardia (24.70%), weakness (26.03%), a sensation of heaviness in the limbs (20.85%), back pain (17.55%), and dizziness (12.67%).
Conclusions. During the war from 2022 to 2025, children in a frontline city exhibited an accumulation of PTSD symptoms closely associated with somatic disorders.
Keywords: pediatrics, children, post-traumatic reaction, war in Ukraine, health status.
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