Objective: We assessed the psychoemotional state and determined the typological personality traits of the children – the forced migrants from the zone of armed conflict in the south-east of Ukraine.

Methods and scope of research: Psychological testing of 179 children - forced migrants from the zone of armed conflict in the south-east of Ukraine, was carried out. The age of the children ranged from 10 to 17 years, 92 boys and 87 girls were among them. As a basic tool for the assessment of the psychoemotional sphere of the child, we used the provocative method of “non-existent animal” test. The test was evaluated according to generally accepted criteria in psychology.

Results: The assessment of the psychoemotional sphere of children - forced migrants from the combat zone, with the help of the test "non-existent animal" revealed the presence of anxiety, aggressiveness, and exhaustion in the overwhelming majority of them. Based on the prevalence of a high level of symptoms of the symptom complex or their combination, 5 observation groups were formed and typological personality traits of children were determined. The group of the children with a predominance of the high level of anxiety signs (43.01%) was the most numerous. By number, the group of the children with a combination of high rates of two symptom complexes — anxiety and aggressiveness (23.46%) was at the second place. The third group consisted of children with a predominance of the signs of aggressiveness (16.2%). Group four (12.29%) included the children with the combination of the signs of exhaustion and anxiety. Group five (5.02%) was characterized by the low rates for all three symptom complexes. An assessment of the gender characteristics of the psychoemotional state of the children showed that the girls were more prone to the manifestations of anxiety, while the boys were characterized by the manifestations of aggressiveness, which can be accompanied with a high level of anxiety. Exhaustion symptom complex was found with the same frequency both in boys and girls.

armed conflict, children, psychological state

1. Novikov О.F. Ekonomichnyi visnyk Donbasu. 2017 ; № 2(48) : 4 –14 (in Russian).

2. Global Trends. Forced Displacement in 2017. URL : https://www.unhcr.org/statistics/unhcrstats/5b27be547/unhcr-global-trends-2017

3. Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. URL : (Accessed 07.11.18) https://www.un.org/ru/documents/decl_conv/conventions/internal_displacement_principles.shtml

4. Resolution of the Human Rights Council. 20/9 Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons. Agenda item 3 - Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Including the Right to Development. 2012.

5. Vnutrischni peremishchennia osib: povidomlennia Mizhvidomchoho koordynatsiinoho shtabu z pytan sotsialnoho zabezpechennia hromadian Ukrainy, yaki peremishchuiutsia z raioniv provedennia ATO ta tymchasovo okupovanykh terytorii (08.11.2016) [Internal Displacement of the Persons: Report of the Interagency Coordination Headquarters on the Social Security Issues for the Ukrainian Citizens Displaced from the ATO Areas and Temporarily Occupied Territories]. (in Ukrainian). URL : (Accessed 07.11.18) https://cn.dsns.gov.ua/ua/Mizhvidomchiy-koordinaciyniy-shtab.html

6. World Bank. Recovery and Peace Building Assessment : Analysis of Crisis Impacts and Needs in Eastern Ukraine : Synthesis Report. Washington, D.C. : World Bank Group. 2015. URL : http://www.un.org.ua/images/RPA_V1_Ukr.pdf

7. Deiaki pytannia Ministerstva z pytan tymchasovo okupovanykh terytorii ta vnutrishno peremishchenykh osib: Postanova Kabinetu Ministriv Ukrainy vid 8.06.2016 р. №376 [Some Issues of the Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons: Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, June 8, 2016 No.376]. (in Ukrainian). URL : (Accessed 07.11.18) http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/uk/cardnpd?docid=249142517

8. Pro zatverdzhennia poriadku stvorennia, vedennia ta dostupu do vidomostei Yedynoi informatsiinoi bazy danykh pro vnutrishnoperemishchenykh osib : Postanova Kabinetu Ministriv Ukrainy vid 22.09.2016 № 646 [On the Approval of the Procedure for the Creation, Maintenance, and Access to the Data of the Common Information Database on the Internally Displaced Persons: Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, September 22, 2016 No. 646]. (in Ukrainian). URL : (Accessed 07.11.18) http://zakon2.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/646-2016-%D0 %BF

9. International Committee of the Red Cross. Internally Displaced Persons and International Humanitarian Law – Factsheet. 14 December 2017. URL : https://www.icrc.org/en/document/internally-displaced-persons-and-international-humanitarian-law https://www.icrc.org/ru/document/lica-peremeshchennye-vnutri-strany-i-mezhdunarodnoe-gumanitarnoe-pravo

10. Number of Ukrainian Children Needing Aid Nearly Doubles to 1 Million over the Past Year – UNICEF Press Release. URL : (Accessed 23.04.19). http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/number-ukrainian-children-needing-aid-nearly-doubles-1-million-over-past-year

11. Novikova О.F., Amosha О.І., Antoniuk V.P. et al. Vnutrishno peremishcheni osoby: vid podolannia pereshkod do stratehii uspikhu : monohrafiia [Internally Displaced Persons: from the Overcoming of the Obstacles to the Strategy of Success: Monograph]. Kyiv; 2016 ; 448 p. (in Ukrainian).

12. UNICEF Ukraine. Bullying is an Important Problem for Children in Ukraine. UNICEF Launches Campaign against Bullying. URL : (Accessed: 20.08.2018) https://www.unicef.org/ukraine/ukr/media_31252

13. Kopytina А.I. Praktikum po ART-terapii [Workshop on Art Therapy]. Sankt-Petersburg ; 2006 : 395 p. (in Russian).

14. Kopytina А.I. Psikhodiagnostika v ART-terapii [Psychodiagnostics in Art Therapy]. Sankt-Petersburg ; 2014 : 228 p. (in Russian).