Analysis of the formation of national identity and its interconnection with the psychological well-being of youth in Ukraine

Abstract

Background. The relevance of this research topic stems from the prevalence of military conflicts in today's world, which influence social processes and personal development. The success of preserving social unity largely depends on the level of development of youth national identity, which ensures internal integrity and the ability for mobilization in conditions of threat. Unlike other societies, national identity formation in Ukraine takes place under the conditions of full-scale invasion. The essence of the study of youth national identity lies in ensuring both understanding of current social moods and forecasting the further development of Ukrainian society. Despite a significant number of studies in the field of identity, the specifics of the formation of the national identity of Ukrainian youth in the real-time of war remain insufficiently studied. The purpose of our article is to present the results of a study on the psychological features of the formation of national identity of Ukrainian youth in the context of social and military transformations.

Methods. The empirical study was conducted online in March-April 2026. The sample consisted of 109 persons aged 18-25 years. A set of psychodiagnostic methods was used: J. Phinney's Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, S. Schwartz's Portrait Values Questionnaire, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and C. Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scales.

Results. The study revealed a predominance of the affective component of national identity over the cognitive (3.10 points – 2.58 points). The most vulnerable components of well-being were life goals (51.0 points) and self-acceptance (50.8 points). Correlation analysis confirmed that national identity is related to personal growth (ρ = 0.397, p < 0.001) and the value of security (ρ = 0.450, p < 0.001), but does not correlate with resilience (ρ = 0.037, p = 0.704). Gender differences were found only for the value of security (women – 4.55, men – 4.16; p = 0.019).

Conclusions. The formation of national identity of Ukrainian youth is a process that requires the targeted implementation of programs focused on the development of the cognitive component of identity and strengthening life perspective. The national identity of youth is more associated with autonomy, security and humanistic values. The obtained results can be used to develop psychocorrectional programs aimed at supporting the national consciousness of youth in the conditions of war and post-war recovery.