ArticleConflict and health2026
Between trauma and resilience - an ecological model of the determinants of mental health among Ukrainian war refugees in Europe: a cross-sectional study.
Article in Conflict and health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe full-scale invasion of Ukraine has generated the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War, exposing civilians to trauma, displacement, and prolonged uncertainty. Refugees face stressors across multiple ecological levels, making Bronfenbrenner's model a suitable framework for understanding mental health determinants. This study examined multilevel predictors of psychological distress among Ukrainian war refugees in Europe.
methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 2025 across eight European countries. A total of 1,622 adult refugees completed standardized questionnaires. Psychological distress was assessed with the Refugee Health Screener-15 (RHS-15), and cultural trauma symptoms with the Cultural Symptoms of Trauma Scale (CSTS). Sociodemographic, relational, economic, institutional, cultural, and temporal variables were organised within Bronfenbrenner's ecological model. Group comparisons were conducted using non-parametric tests, and predictors of distress were identified through logistic regression.
resultsHigher distress was associated with poorer self-rated health, weaker family and social relationships, unemployment, economic strain, and contact with family in war-affected areas. The strongest predictors were macrosystem factors, including emotional, cognitive, existential, and agency-related trauma symptoms (OR 1.40-2.78). Protective factors included better health, stronger family relationships, employment, and favourable economic conditions. Refugees who left Ukraine later in the conflict showed lower distress risk.
conclusionsMental health outcomes among Ukrainian refugees reflect interactions across ecological levels. Interventions should integrate individual, relational, community, economic, and culturally informed components to address the multifaceted nature of refugee distress.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.