CMPH

The manifestation of PTSD symptoms is also one of the key aspects that negatively affects the overall well-being of young people. Individuals with such manifestations suffer from recurring traumatic memories, hyperarousal, and emotional dysregulation, which significantly reduces their quality of life.

Anxiety has a high negative impact, indicating a constant feeling of tension, fear and anticipation of danger, leading to awareness and progression, and the development of psychosomatic symptoms. Frustration, as a state of unmet needs or obstacles to achieving goals, is also a destabilising factor. The high negative correlation with overall well-being suggests that failures and limitations significantly undermine the emotional state of young people. Thus, the identified negative symptoms of psychological health disorders (PTSD, depression, anxiety, frustration) have a strong destructive effect on overall well-being, reduce activity levels and increase social isolation. They also correlate with internal emotional instability, which can lead to difficulties in everyday functioning, professional and educational activities, and interpersonal relationships.

High positive loads (well-being, activity and mood) indicate that the overall level of vital energy and physical condition directly affects emotional balance. People who feel good demonstrate lower stress levels and adapt better to difficult conditions. Activity is an indicator of motivational involvement in life processes. A high positive correlation suggests that people who maintain high activity levels are less susceptible to depression and anxiety. An optimistic, stable mood improves psychological resilience. People with a positive attitude are more likely to adapt better, are less susceptible to stressors, and recover more quickly from difficulties. A positive correlation with extraversion suggests that socially active individuals who establish contacts more easily and participate in social life have a better emotional state and are less prone to negative experiences, manifestations of PTSD, anxiety and depression.

High levels of activity, positive mood and social engagement are powerful buffers against psycho-emotional disorders. This confirms the importance of maintaining physical activity, social interaction and a positive outlook in the context of preserving the mental health of young people.

The second factor, ‘Emotional well-being and self-sufficiency,’ describes the overall level of emotional comfort, social adaptation, well-being, and activity, but also indicates a tendency toward a certain degree of introversion and less social dependence. This factor includes: well-being (0.576), activity (0.561), mood (0.585), as well as negative loads in extroversion – introversion (-0.495) and attachment – detachment (-0.464).

This factor reflects the adaptive balance between emotional wellbeing and social connections. Young people with high scores on this factor may feel good and be active, but they are not necessarily socially open or dependent on interpersonal contacts, which indicates adaptive introversion, when a person has internal stability and does not need a large amount of social interaction to maintain good well-being.

This combination indicates a link between emotional state and social interaction, emphasising the importance of interpersonal relationships and social adaptation for maintaining overall psycho-emotional balance during military operations. Even introverted individuals need a certain circle of significant people to satisfy their need for support and interpersonal interaction. To build interpersonal relationships, it is important for this cohort of individuals to be in good health, to be rested, i.e. to have enough energy for communication.

They will be active only at the level for which they have enough energy, frequent and active communication exhausts an introverted personality, after which they need some time to restore internal energy. The negative correlation with attachment - isolation confirms the presence of a limited circle of trust in such individuals. These are quite autonomous and independent individuals from the social environment. It is difficult for such individuals to make new friends, and in conditions of martial law, when a large number of families have become internally displaced persons, the breakdown of established relationships can become an additional stress factor for them. Their tendency to demonstrate independence can turn into social isolation. All this can block the possibility of rapid adaptation and socialization in a new social environment, which can lead to internal conflicts and emotional tension, as a result, increasing the level of anxiety or depression.

The 3rd factor “Psychological adaptability” reflects the balance between emotional stability, propensity for social interaction and the use of defense mechanisms, includes high positive values of reactive formation (0.449), emotional stability - instability (0.396), extraversion - introversion (0.305), attachment - detachment (0.308). Quite statistically negative values - expressiveness - practicality (-0.554), regression (-0.396), repression (-0.371). This factor describes the strategies that a person uses to maintain psychological balance in conditions of stress, conflict or internal tension. It shows how adaptive or unproductive the defense mechanisms that young people use to regulate their emotional state are.

Considering the data obtained from this component in more detail, it can be noted that the use of such a mechanism as reactive formation indicates the presence of a tendency to transform one’s emotional experiences into emotions or behavior that are opposite in content. A high level of this mechanism indicates the presence of a subconscious need to transform one’s behavior into a socially acceptable one, which may be accompanied by tension and internal conflicts. A positive correlation of emotional stability - instability means relative emotional balance in stressful situations. Individuals with this indicator better control their reactions, are less likely to be impulsive and have emotional breakdowns. The presence of extraversion indicates a readiness for open communication and interaction with others as a way to overcome internal discomfort. In difficult situations, such people can seek social support and use interaction as a means of reducing stress. The presence of attachment means a positive need for emotional connections, which can be both an adaptive and a compensatory mechanism.

The set of characteristics identified in this factor indicates that a young person adapts to stress through emotion control, sociability, and establishing emotional connections. High values of these mechanisms indicate the individual’s ability to successfully perceive, identify, and regulate emotions, seek social support, and exhibit positive behavior in stressful situations, which allows them to maintain psychological balance and minimize internal tension and external conflicts. Most often, they choose comfortable adult defense mechanisms, without resorting to primitive childish behavior, and solve difficult situations clearly and pragmatically.

The 4^th factor “Psycho-emotional disharmony” is a complex of psychological mechanisms, in case of disorders of perception and identification of emotions. This component covers various aspects that interact with each other and determine the ability of a person to adapt to external and internal changes in the presence of psycho-emotional disharmony. This factor includes the following components: compensation (0.560), alexithymia (0.538), frustration (0.430), self-control - impulsivity (0.316), as well as negative loads projection (- 0.328), emotional stability - instability (-0.306).

The presence of alexithymia indicates the inability of some young people to realize, identify their own and other people’s emotions, which causes difficulties in social interaction and reduces the level of psychological well-being of the individual. This phenomenon affects the ability to adapt to changes and cope with emotional stress, since the lack of awareness of emotions complicates the process of their regulation. The use of compensation in such individuals is quite understandable, it is this mechanism of psychological protection, which consists in the realization of the desire to reduce or replace one’s weakness, deficiency in a certain area by achieving success in another area. It is she who allows a young person to adjust the feeling of self-esteem and reduce the level of frustration. When it is impossible to realize one’s own goals or satisfy needs, frustration reactions are triggered, which can appear in the form of irritation, aggression or depression. This factor indicates the presence of internal discomfort (which is sometimes even unconscious), the level of stress that a person experiences due to unresolved or difficult situations and as a result, emotional instability or impulsive behavior is manifested due to the use of ineffective psychological protection mechanisms.

The 5th factor “Cognitive-emotional adaptation to stress” is a set of various psychological strategies that a person uses to adapt to stressful or difficult situations, as well as to protect his psychoemotional state. It includes: significant positive loads: projection (0.470), intellectualization (0.370), substitution (0.384), emotional stability - instability (0.355), expressiveness - practicality (0.313), and negative significant manifestations: repression (-0.415) and reactive formation (- 0.304). The existing projection allows you to attribute your own unpleasant emotions, feelings or traits to other people, which allows you to avoid awareness of the negative aspects of your own personality, but complicates the realistic perception of situations and worsens interpersonal relationships. Although the existing intellectualization allows you to analytically process an emotionally tense situation in order to reduce its emotional component. This can manifest itself in the form of rationalization of problems, where the individual tries to explain a difficult situation using logical or available arguments in order to reduce the level of stress. Sometimes this can be useful for understanding the situation, but it can also block emotional experience and make it impossible to have a deeper emotional awareness. Substitution allows you to reduce emotional tension, but can lead to conflicts in other areas of life. The available emotional stability allows you to maintain calm and internal balance in stressful situations. Expressiveness combined with a rational approach to solving life situations (practicality) allows you to adequately adapt and solve difficult situations.

Young individuals with a high level of expressiveness openly express their emotions, which can help in emotional recovery, while practicality allows you to maintain the ability to act within the limits of reality, reducing emotional stress through rational actions. The presence of repression allows you to reduce the stress response in the short term, however, in the long term, repression can lead to the accumulation of emotional tension, which manifests itself in the form of psychosomatic disorders or emotional outbursts. The launch of such a mechanism as reactive formation in this cohort of respondents allows them to maintain social acceptability, but does not contribute to the effective resolution of emotional problems.

Thus, this factor combines both emotional and cognitive defense mechanisms that allow you to adapt to difficult or stressful situations, reducing emotional tension through rationalization, redirection of emotions or shifting attention, while maintaining emotional stability. It should be noted that on the one hand, such mechanisms help a young person cope with unpleasant emotions or stress, but on the other hand, they can cause difficulties in understanding and adapting to real needs and situations when these mechanisms become used too often.

The 6th factor “Rational self-control” reflects a person’s ability to consciously control their emotions, behavior and impulses using rational thinking, includes self-control (0.692), intellectualization (0.642) and expressiveness – practicality (-0.358). This factor characterizes individuals who prefer logic and an analytical approach in interacting with the world around them, rather than emotional spontaneity.

The presence of high self-control indicates the ability to consciously regulate their behavior in accordance with social norms and their own goals. Avoid excessive emotional reactions, control yourself in stressful situations, make clear and correct balanced decisions in critical situations. The use of logic and rational analysis helps to avoid or reduce emotional discomfort. Explaining emotional or stressful situations through abstract thinking helps to maintain internal balance. The negative value of expressiveness - practicality indicates that people in whom this factor is expressed are less inclined to openly express emotions, they prefer restraint and rationality in behavior, rather than emotional openness or spontaneity. In conflict or crisis situations, they are more likely to include logical thinking than to allow emotions to dominate. They often rationalize their feelings, trying to distance themselves from the emotional component. Using an intellectual explanation to justify their decisions reduces the influence of personal emotions on psychological states. Individuals with high levels of self-control are usually reliable, disciplined, and able to effectively overcome difficulties without panicking or acting impulsively. They rarely use verbal and nonverbal displays of feelings in social interactions. They prefer restrained behavior and a balanced approach to decision-making. Such individuals are often considered cool, measured, and rational. They may avoid showing strong emotions, sometimes appearing reserved or even aloof. At the same time, they adapt well in conditions that require analysis, planning, and clear organization of actions. However, excessive rationalization of emotions can lead to their suppression, which can potentially affect the quality of interpersonal communication and prevent deeper emotional contact with other people.

The 7th factor “Compensatory adaptation strategies” reflects specific adaptation strategies that are based on unconscious defense mechanisms aimed at regulating internal balance and reducing the level of emotional tension. It includes: reactive formation (0.527), regression (0.413), intellectualization (0.301), and negative load: compensation (- 0.400). Its feature is the predominance of indirect and compensatory mechanisms that help a person cope with stress and internal conflicts, but at the same time can limit the effectiveness of his adaptation. To maintain internal balance, such individuals can mask true emotions through reactive formation (for example, hidden aggression through demonstrative benevolence). In social interactions, this can manifest itself through hypercorrectness, demonstrative benevolence, or avoiding conflicts. They can show infantile reactions (regression) in stressful situations, in order to avoid active problem solving. Rationalizing one’s experiences in order to distance oneself from them. For example, in the case of the loss of a loved one, instead of experiencing grief, an individual may begin to reflect on the philosophical aspects of death or the medical causes of the event. Intellectualization reduces anxiety, but can distance oneself from true feelings, which complicates interpersonal communication.

A negative value in this factor indicates that people are less likely to use active compensation (for example, achievement or selfrealization), which indicates a tendency to negative rather than adaptive mechanisms. For example, instead of compensating for feelings of inferiority through achievements in the educational and professional sphere, a young person may regress or seek logical justifications for their failures. This means that such individuals are less likely to choose productive strategies for overcoming difficulties, and more often rely on unconscious passive adaptation mechanisms, which may provide temporary psychological relief, but in the long-term limit personal development and the effectiveness of social adaptation. Factor analysis identified seven main structural components of the psychological characteristics of young people, which reflect the emotional state, defense mechanisms, social adaptation, impulsivity, aggressiveness and sociability. These factors can be used to predict the psychoemotional state of young people and develop psychological support programs.

Next, we examined gender differences in manifestations of alexithymia and social frustration (Table 2). It can be noted that young men are more prone to manifestations of alexithymia, the difference between the indicators is Δ -5.11, in young men M =70.60; σ = 11.11 was found, and in young men M = 65.49; σ = 10.75, which indicates the presence of recognition and expression of emotions among young men.

Table 2: Gender differences in alexithymia and social frustration.

Social frustration does not have a significant difference among young men M =2.08; σ = 1.03, in young men M = 2.13; σ = 1.02, which indicates the equality of the frustration level, both among girls and among boys. This may indicate that military actions throughout Ukraine have been having a negative impact on the entire population for a long time and are a significant frustrating factor in adolescence, both for boys and girls.

Social frustration has a high correlation with alexithymia (r = 0.876, p<0.01), insignificant with expressiveness - practicality (r = 0.189, p < 0.05); statistically significant negative relationships with extraversion - introversion (r = -0.471 p < 0.01) and attachment - detachment.

The very high level of correlation between frustration and alexithymia suggests that young people have difficulty recognizing, expressing, and differentiating their own emotions. They cannot clearly understand their feelings, often feel uncomfortable in communication, and have reduced emotional regulation skills, which increases their social frustration. At the same time, social frustration can exacerbate alexithymic manifestations through increased stress and emotional depression. Such a relationship may form a vicious circle: the inability to recognize and express emotions complicates social contacts, which, in turn, further increases frustration.

Although the relationship with expressiveness-practicality is weak, it may indicate that more expressive individuals (who openly demonstrate their emotions) experience somewhat higher levels of social frustration. This may be because emotionally expressive people have a greater need for feedback from others and active inclusion in social interactions. If their needs are not met, they experience social difficulties more acutely, which can lead to feelings of loneliness and frustration.

Practical individuals, who are oriented towards a rational approach to social interaction, react less emotionally to communication deficits, which may explain the weakness of this connection.

A moderate negative correlation suggests that more introverted individuals have higher levels of social frustration. Introverts are less likely to have an active social life, but this does not mean that they do not need to communicate. If limited social contacts are not a conscious choice (for example, due to external circumstances or lack of communication skills), introverts may experience feelings of isolation and dissatisfaction. Therefore, introverted young women are more vulnerable to social frustration, especially if their isolation is forced or they have difficulty in social interactions. The negative correlation between social frustration and attachment suggests that young women with high levels of social involvement and attachment to others are less likely to experience frustration in relationships. And young women who are prone to isolation and emotional distancing may more often experience a deficit of social contacts, which increases their frustration. This relationship confirms the importance of interpersonal support for girls’ psychological well-being during martial law.

Thus, social frustration is most strongly associated with difficulties in understanding and expressing emotions (alexithymia), insufficient social engagement (introversion, emotional detachment), and an unmet need for feedback (expressiveness). This highlights the importance of developing emotional reflection and supportive social connections to reduce social frustration.

Conclusions

1. As a result of theoretical analysis, it was found that the concept of social frustration is interpreted as a complex sociopsychological phenomenon that combines emotional, cognitive and behavioral reactions of an individual to social obstacles or restrictions. In psychology, frustration is considered as a state of tension that arises due to the inability to satisfy important needs, and in sociology as a consequence of a contradiction between expectations and the real social situation. Thus, social frustration is an integrated indicator of social well-being, which reflects the state of dissatisfaction, loss of trust, anxiety and powerlessness of an individual or group in crisis social conditions.
2. The study found that the development of social frustration during the war is due to both objective and subjective factors. The main social factors include: loss of stability and security, disruption of social ties, economic instability, forced migration, decreased trust in institutions, information destabilization. Psychological factors include prolonged emotional stress, fear, feelings of powerlessness, post-traumatic reactions, decreased self-esteem, and loss of meaning in life. The combination of these factors causes mass uncertainty and disorientation, which increases emotional exhaustion and social tension in society.
3. It has been found that there is a negative relationship between the level of social frustration and the degree of social adaptation: the higher the level of frustration, the lower the person’s ability to effectively adapt in the social environment. Increased frustration is accompanied by a decrease in emotional stability, loss of motivation, distrust of the environment and institutions, which negatively affects psychological well-being. In contrast, a high level of adaptive resources (social support, resilience, positive identity, the presence of meaning in life) weakens the influence of frustration factors and helps restore internal balance even in crisis conditions of war.
4. Based on the analysis, the main areas of sociopsychological assistance are outlined: individual level of forming emotional self-regulation skills, developing resilience, restoring a sense of control over life, cognitive reappraisal of traumatic events. Group level of creating support groups, volunteer communities, collective therapy programs that promote social cohesion. Social level of developing a system of psychological assistance to the population, information stability, educational campaigns on mental health. Such measures contribute to reducing the level of frustration, restoring social trust and increasing the psychological well-being of citizens during the war period.

Data Availability Statement

Data generated during this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Conflict of Interest Statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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