{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T21:06:50Z","timestamp":1789160810961,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"ALUNA","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Aim: To systematically analyse empirical data on the mental health of Ukrainian children in the context of armed conflict; to conduct a comparative analysis with research on the consequences of the Second World War; to examine long-term social consequences; and to analyse the state of the psychosocial support system, with particular attention to the trauma-informed approach as its methodological foundation.\nMaterials and Methods: Narrative review with elements of comparative analysis. Databases searched: PubMed\/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO. Included: empirical studies and systematic reviews\/meta-analyses (2022-2026) on children and adolescents (0-18 years) in war or post-conflict settings with measurable mental health, behavioural, or developmental outcomes; comparative studies on children from the Second World War era, with no time restrictions. Supplemented by institutional reports and national Ukrainian research.\nConclusions: Ukraine is facing a psychiatric and social crisis of historic proportions for European children. An effective response requires long-term systemic investment in psychosocial support grounded in the trauma-informed approach, with priority for underserved groups (the youngest children, orphans, children of the mobilised), deinstitutionalisation, anti-stigma education, and urgent funding for longitudinal research.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.36740\/merkur202604119","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T20:16:20Z","timestamp":1789157780000},"page":"517","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Children on the brink: Mental health, long-term social consequences, and psychosocial support for Ukrainian children in war"],"prefix":"10.36740","volume":"54","author":[{"given":"Viktor","family":"Vus","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University , Kherson, Ukraine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mariana","family":"Shkoliar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LVIV POLYTECHNIC NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, LVIV, UKRAINE"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Galina","family":"Itskovich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MSW, LCSW-R, DIR-EXPERT, NEW YORK, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"22436","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","unstructured":"1. 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