Psychosocial Support Interventions for Children During Ongoing War in Ukraine: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Introduction:This presentation describes an initiative to provide psychosocial support to children in Ukraine during the ongoing war using a children’s storybook, coloring book, and activity book. The resources promote emotion identification, self-expression, coping skills, and social support–variables with empirical support in promoting children’s mental health in response to trauma.Method:The book: “An Unusual Situation” is a bibliotherapy intervention for children struggling with difficult situations. By identifying with the characters, children learn about their own struggles, they learn that other children share similar concerns, and learn important coping skills.The book was translated into Ukrainian and Russian; supplementary materials including a coloring book, activity book and a guidebook were developed. Following a three-hour training, Ukrainian mental health professionals worked with children on the materials in their respective wartime settings.Results:Results of the following research questions will be presented: 1)How do mental health professionals working with children in Ukraine utilize the associated book resources measured by a survey and completed by the professionals engaged in the project.2)What do children who use these resources report about their experiences coping with the ongoing war, measured by: a)Collecting children’s responses in the activity book.b)Surveying the mental health professionals about their observations of the children during the intervention process.3)Does the intervention reduce children’s distress, interpersonal functioning, or problematic behaviors, measured by pre-post scores on the Youth Outcome Questionnaire 2.0.Conclusion:This pilot study will provide information to guide the implementation of a broad psychosocial support intervention for children living in the setting of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Conclusions to be presented include: 1)Tailoring the intervention to the current needs of Ukrainian children2)Designing a wide-scale implementation plan tailored to Ukrainian mental health professionals’ recommendations3)Addressing barriers to implementation.