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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Positive Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1440021
This article is part of the Research Topic The Psychology of Hope View all articles

The Moderating Effect of Perceived Hope in the Relationship between Anxiety and Posttraumatic Growth during the Russian-Ukrainian War

Provisionally accepted
Alena Slezackova Alena Slezackova 1*Tatiana Malatincová Tatiana Malatincová 1Katarina Millova Katarina Millova 2Miroslav Svetlak Miroslav Svetlak 1Andreas M. Krafft Andreas M. Krafft 3
  • 1 Department of Medical Psychology and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
  • 2 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
  • 3 Institute for Systemic Management and Public Governance, School of Management, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study examines the relationships between perceived hope, posttraumatic growth, well-being, anxiety, and perceived threat of the Russian-Ukrainian War (RUW) in the Czech adult population. Drawing on the evidence of posttraumatic growth (PTG) amidst crisis, we hypothesized that perceived hope moderates the effects of perceived threat of war and anxiety on PTG. Data were obtained from 1,000 Czech respondents via an online questionnaire ten months post-invasion. The form included measures of posttraumatic growth, perceived hope, well-being, anxiety and depression, and perceived threat of war. Our findings reveal that perceived hope acted as a moderator enhancing the positive effects of perceived threat and anxiety on PTG. However, perceived hope did not significantly moderate the direct effects of perceived threats and anxiety on well-being. This study highlights the significant role of hope amidst adversity and underscores its potential as a target for interventions aiming to foster PTG in populations who navigate traumatic experiences. Furthermore, it advocates for continued exploration of the factors interacting to enhance well-being and facilitate PTG in affected communities.

    Keywords: Perceived hope, posttraumatic growth, Anxiety, Russian-Ukrainian war, Mental Health, psychological well-being

    Received: 28 May 2024; Accepted: 22 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Slezackova, Malatincová, Millova, Svetlak and Krafft. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Alena Slezackova, Department of Medical Psychology and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia

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