Nature Communications (Feb 2024)
Psychological well-being in Europe after the outbreak of war in Ukraine
- Julian Scharbert,
- Sarah Humberg,
- Lara Kroencke,
- Thomas Reiter,
- Sophia Sakel,
- Julian ter Horst,
- Katharina Utesch,
- Samuel D. Gosling,
- Gabriella Harari,
- Sandra C. Matz,
- Ramona Schoedel,
- Clemens Stachl,
- Natalia M. A. Aguilar,
- Dayana Amante,
- Sibele D. Aquino,
- Franco Bastias,
- Alireza Bornamanesh,
- Chloe Bracegirdle,
- Luís A. M. Campos,
- Bruno Chauvin,
- Nicoleen Coetzee,
- Anna Dorfman,
- Monika dos Santos,
- Rita W. El-Haddad,
- Malgorzata Fajkowska,
- Asli Göncü-Köse,
- Augusto Gnisci,
- Stavros Hadjisolomou,
- William W. Hale,
- Maayan Katzir,
- Lili Khechuashvili,
- Alexander Kirchner-Häusler,
- Patrick F. Kotzur,
- Sarah Kritzler,
- Jackson G. Lu,
- Gustavo D. S. Machado,
- Khatuna Martskvishvili,
- Francesca Mottola,
- Martin Obschonka,
- Stefania Paolini,
- Marco Perugini,
- Odile Rohmer,
- Yasser Saeedian,
- Ida Sergi,
- Maor Shani,
- Ewa Skimina,
- Luke D. Smillie,
- Sanaz Talaifar,
- Thomas Talhelm,
- Tülüce Tokat,
- Ana Torres,
- Claudio V. Torres,
- Jasper Van Assche,
- Liuqing Wei,
- Aslı Yalçın,
- Maarten van Zalk,
- Markus Bühner,
- Mitja D. Back
Affiliations
- Julian Scharbert
- Department of Psychology, University of Münster
- Sarah Humberg
- Department of Psychology, University of Münster
- Lara Kroencke
- Department of Psychology, University of Münster
- Thomas Reiter
- Department of Psychology, University of Munich
- Sophia Sakel
- Department of Psychology, University of Munich
- Julian ter Horst
- Department of Psychology, Osnabrück University
- Katharina Utesch
- Department of Psychology, University of Münster
- Samuel D. Gosling
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin
- Gabriella Harari
- Department of Communication, Stanford University
- Sandra C. Matz
- Business School, Columbia University
- Ramona Schoedel
- Department of Psychology, University of Munich
- Clemens Stachl
- Institute of Behavioral Science and Technology, University of St. Gallen
- Natalia M. A. Aguilar
- Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of the Northeast
- Dayana Amante
- Research Institute in Basic and Applied Psychology, Catholic University of Cuyo
- Sibele D. Aquino
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
- Franco Bastias
- Cluster of Excellence “The Politics of Inequality”, University of Konstanz
- Alireza Bornamanesh
- Psychiatry Department, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences
- Chloe Bracegirdle
- Nuffield College, University of Oxford
- Luís A. M. Campos
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
- Bruno Chauvin
- Department of Psychology, University of Strasbourg
- Nicoleen Coetzee
- Department of Psychology, University of Pretoria
- Anna Dorfman
- Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University
- Monika dos Santos
- Department of Psychology, University of South Africa
- Rita W. El-Haddad
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, American University of Kuwait
- Malgorzata Fajkowska
- Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences
- Asli Göncü-Köse
- Department of Psychology, Çankaya University
- Augusto Gnisci
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli
- Stavros Hadjisolomou
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, American University of Kuwait
- William W. Hale
- Department of Youth and Family, Utrecht University
- Maayan Katzir
- Conflict Resolution, Management, and Negotiation Graduate Program, Bar Ilan University
- Lili Khechuashvili
- Department of Psychology, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
- Alexander Kirchner-Häusler
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex
- Patrick F. Kotzur
- Department of Psychology, Durham University
- Sarah Kritzler
- Department of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
- Jackson G. Lu
- Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Gustavo D. S. Machado
- Department of Psychology, Federal University of Santa Catarina
- Khatuna Martskvishvili
- Department of Psychology, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
- Francesca Mottola
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli
- Martin Obschonka
- Amsterdam Business School, University of Amsterdam
- Stefania Paolini
- Department of Psychology, Durham University
- Marco Perugini
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca
- Odile Rohmer
- Department of Psychology, University of Strasbourg
- Yasser Saeedian
- Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University
- Ida Sergi
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli
- Maor Shani
- Department of Psychology, Osnabrück University
- Ewa Skimina
- Institute of Psychology, SWPS University
- Luke D. Smillie
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne
- Sanaz Talaifar
- Department of Management & Entrepreneurship, Imperial College London
- Thomas Talhelm
- Booth School of Business, The University of Chicago
- Tülüce Tokat
- Human Sciences Department, Verona University
- Ana Torres
- Department of Psychology, Federal University of Paraíba
- Claudio V. Torres
- Department of Basic Psychological Processes, University of Brasilia
- Jasper Van Assche
- Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Ghent University
- Liuqing Wei
- Department of Psychology, Hubei University
- Aslı Yalçın
- Department of Psychology, Çankaya University
- Maarten van Zalk
- Department of Psychology, Osnabrück University
- Markus Bühner
- Department of Psychology, University of Munich
- Mitja D. Back
- Department of Psychology, University of Münster
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44693-6
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 15,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 12
Abstract
Abstract The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has had devastating effects on the Ukrainian population and the global economy, environment, and political order. However, little is known about the psychological states surrounding the outbreak of war, particularly the mental well-being of individuals outside Ukraine. Here, we present a longitudinal experience-sampling study of a convenience sample from 17 European countries (total participants = 1,341, total assessments = 44,894, countries with >100 participants = 5) that allows us to track well-being levels across countries during the weeks surrounding the outbreak of war. Our data show a significant decline in well-being on the day of the Russian invasion. Recovery over the following weeks was associated with an individual’s personality but was not statistically significantly associated with their age, gender, subjective social status, and political orientation. In general, well-being was lower on days when the war was more salient on social media. Our results demonstrate the need to consider the psychological implications of the Russo-Ukrainian war next to its humanitarian, economic, and ecological consequences.
