AUK Psychologists Collaborate on Influential Nature Communications Study
10th Mar 2024 | by the Department of PR & Marketing
In a pioneering study published in Nature Communications, an open access, multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research, faculty from AUK partnered with an international research team to reveal the significant psychological effects of the Ukraine War on well-being. AUK psychologists Dr. Rita El-Haddad and Dr. Stavros Hadjisolomou collaborated with over 50 researchers worldwide in this study, which examined 45,000 surveys from 1,300 individuals across 17 European countries.
The team employed innovative methodologies, including smartphone sensing and experience sampling, to provide insights to examine the relationship between the Ukraine War and its everyday impact on individuals. Conducted from late 2021 to the summer of 2022, the study tracked mood fluctuations among participants, offering a unique window into their collective psyche during the initial stages of the war.
The study, focusing on mental health, adds a further dimension to the debate on the humanitarian, political, and economic consequences of the war. While people’s well-being was stable before the war broke out, there was a collective downturn on the day of the Russian invasion. However, when the researchers analyzed how people recovered psychologically from this shock, they found systematic differences.
"This study showcases not only the war's direct and far-reaching psychological impact but, more importantly, highlights the significant influence of personality traits on resilience and recovery. Our findings indicate that individuals with less stable personality profiles experience prolonged distress compared to higher-stability participants. These observations underline the necessity for future studies examining tailored mental health interventions and support systems rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to mitigate the psychological effects of global crises,” explains Dr. Hadjisolomou.
Dr. El-Haddad further emphasized the broader implications of the research findings, “Beyond the immediate repercussions of the Ukraine War, such as forced displacement of people and global economic disruptions, we need to consider the negative impact on global mental health from the consumption of news media about the war.”
As the only institution from the Arab region, AUK's involvement in this groundbreaking study signifies the University’s commitment to addressing global challenges but also positions it as a leader in international research collaboration. The findings build upon previous collaborative work by Drs. El-Haddad and Hadjisolomou and the international team on coping with global crises (such as the Global Experience Sampling Method Study), further establishing AUK as a pivotal contributor to global psychological research.
Dr. Rita El-Haddad
Dr. Stavros Hadjisolomou