MENTAL STATE OF YOUNG STUDENTS IN THE CONDITIONS OF MILITARY CONFLICTS: A META-ANALYSIS OF UKRAINIAN AND FOREIGN DISCOURSE

• Borys Savchuk

  Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University

  https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2256-0845

• Olga Snitovska

  Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University

  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3086-9503

The article presents a meta-analytical synthesis of Ukrainian and international research on the mental state of students in the context of military conflicts. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing number of empirical and theoretical works documenting the negative impact of war on students’ mental health and the lack of their systematic generalization in Ukrainian scholarship. The aim of the paper is to develop and apply a meta-analysis methodology to identify common and distinctive trends, factors, and consequences of traumatic experiences affecting students’ mental states. The methodological framework is based on contemporary meta-analytic approaches, including selection, evaluation, synthesis, and statistical interpretation of research findings.

The study analyzes 43 Ukrainian publications (2022–2024) along with relevant international studies indexed in major scientific databases. Particular attention is paid to the criteria for selecting sources, assessing their quality, and identifying statistical heterogeneity. The findings indicate that stress, anxiety, depression, and fear are the dominant mental states among students during wartime, largely functioning as adaptive responses to traumatic conditions. Their dynamics reveal a gradual decrease in the intensity of certain symptoms over time, while overall psycho-emotional tension remains high. Key stress-inducing factors include military events, information pressure, uncertainty, and social environment.

The comparative analysis demonstrates both universal patterns of psychological responses and context-specific differences обусловлені sociocultural conditions, the intensity and duration of conflicts, and differences in research methodologies. The study substantiates the effectiveness of the meta-analytical approach for synthesizing humanitarian research and outlines перспективи for developing evidence-based psychological and educational support strategies aimed at improving students’ resilience and mental well-being in wartime.

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