Abstract
Background. In the context of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, special attention is warranted to the emergence of new memorial, spiritual, artistic, volunteer, and media rituals as ingredients of collective healing. They shape a shared space of memory, spiritual solidarity, and psychosocial resilience.
Objective: To delineate a typology of new rituals and analyze their impact on the psychosocial resilience and spiritual recovery of Ukrainian society during wartime.
Methods. A study conducted in 2023-2024 among students, medical interns, trainees, and faculty at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University and O. O. Bogomolets National Medical University (n = 618). Tools included a survey; RS-14, PCL-5, MLQ, and MSPSS scales; in-depth interviews (n = 26); and statistical analyses (t-tests, χ², ANOVA, regression; p < 0.05). The article forms a part of several dissertation projects by the authors at their respective institutions.
Results. Participants in rituals demonstrated higher resilience (78.2% vs. 52.5%) and perceived social support (84.5% vs. 57.9%), lower PTSD symptom levels (23.1% vs. 48.7%), and higher meaning in life (81.0% vs. 49.2%). Core ritual functions included mnemonic, integrative, therapeutic, and preventive.
Conclusions. New rituals function as mechanisms of collective healing, restoring spiritual dignity, meaning, and social cohesion. Rituals act as active ingredients of psychosocial support and facilitate post-traumatic growth in Ukrainian society.