Surviving the atrocity: A study of resilience and coping behaviour among Ukrainians during the Russo-Ukrainian war

Abstract

The study was conducted during the first 8 months of the Russo-Ukrainian war, investigating an interplay of resilience, coping strategies and perceived stress in Ukrainians of various age groups, war experiences and displacement statuses. The study was conducted on the sample of 18–76-year-old Ukrainians ( n = 337) using the COPE, CD-RISC-10 and PSS-14 scales. It aimed to understand how Ukrainians cope with war-stressors and stay resilient. Data analyses, including Bayesian ANOVA, independent samples t-tests, linear regressions and bivariate correlation, were conducted using JASP and IBM SPSS-23. The results of the quantitative study showed that Ukrainians attributed their resilience to perceived self-efficacy, regulating emotions and flexibility. It was also found that the pattern of most and least preferred coping strategies was relatively consistent across all the sample subgroups. Thus, to cope with war, Ukrainians relied on ‘planning’, ‘positive interpretation and growth’, ‘acceptance’ and ‘active coping’ and refrained from ‘behavioural disengagement’, ‘denial’ and ‘substance use’. It was concluded that coping strategies may be significant predictors of Ukrainians’ resilience.