Prevention and mitigation strategies for psychological disorders in European ongoing and post-war settings: lessons...

There is an ongoing need to facilitate the development and implementation of preventative measures and prophylactic steps to mitigate the development of psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within traumatized populations in theaters of war (e.g., 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War). If successful, these measures have the potential to reduce the incidence, severity, and duration of psychological distress and posttraumatic stress reactions, including PTSD, while increasing the likelihood of resilience. This conceptual analysis paper will review the psychological effects of either living in, or being displaced from, active war zones in Europe. The ongoing situation in Ukraine will be used as an example, with specific emphasis on risk and resilience factors, prevention strategies spanning therapeutic domains, and how we can apply what the medical and scientific communities have learned in the aftermath of other global armed conflicts historically. As such, the paper will close with a discussion of the empirically recommended mental health interventions and tools that should be made available to the non-displaced Ukrainian population, internally and external displaced individuals (refugees), as well as citizens of host countries that receive refugee populations.