PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS IN CHILDREN AFFECTED BY WAR: STRATIFICATION BY THE PSM-25 SCALE AND A PILOT STUDY OF...

To assess the level of psychological stress in children affected by war and living in regions with radioecological burden, as well as to determine possible associations with the SOD2 polymorphism (Val16Ala, rs4880),using quartile stratification as an approach to the interpretation of the PSM25 scale.

The study involved 42 children aged 10 to 17 years living in regions with different levelsof radiation exposure and affected by military events. The psychoemotional state was assessed using the PSM25psychological stress scale. A quartile approach was used to stratify the level of stress: Q1 (low), Q1-Q3 (intermediate) and Q3 (high). DNA samples were examined to detect the rs4880 polymorphism of the SOD2 gene. Statisticalanalysis was performed using nonparametric criteria and logistic regression models.

The level of psychological stress in the sample ranged from 29 to 182 points, indicating heterogeneity ofindividual reactions. About 26 % of children demonstrated values exceeding the conditional clinical thresholds onthe PSM25 scale. The quartile stratification allowed us to identify three subgroups with different stress severity.Analysis of sociodemographic characteristics revealed a statistically significant association between gender andstress levels: girls had higher scores than boys (p = 0.041), which was also confirmed in the binary logistic model.Although children from areas with elevated radiation backgrounds did not score significantly higher on nonparametric tests, the regression model revealed a trend towards an increased risk of high stress in this group (p = 0.063).Genetic analysis showed a potential protective role of the Ala allele of the SOD2 polymorphism (rs4880). Althoughthe χ2 test did not reveal significant differences in the distribution of genotypes between quartile groups, bothbinary and ordinal logistic regression showed a consistent trend: carriers of Val/Ala and Ala/Ala genotypes had alower probability of high stress levels compared to the Val/Val reference group.

There is a significant variation in the level of psychoemotional stress in children exposed to war, whichindicates the heterogeneity of individual reactions. The quartile stratification of the PSM25 scale provided aneffective adaptation to the lack of standards for the pediatric population and allowed to identify clinically significant subgroups by stress level. Male gender was associated with a lower level of stress, and living in areas withchronic radiation background was associated with a tendency to increased risk, indicating the influence of socioenvironmental factors. The association analysis indicated a possible protective role of the Ala allele of the SOD2gene (rs4880), which is manifested in a reduction in the risk of high stress in children. This hypothesis requires further confirmation in larger samples.