RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PROJECT
Child Aggression Amid War
Research, psychoeducation, and practical approaches to addressing childhood aggression in wartime.
A research and educational project exploring how a child growing up amid war and societal aggression learns to recognize their own aggression, use force, set boundaries, resolve conflicts, and exert influence without resorting to violence
The project brings together legal, psychological-practical, and research expertise
Law and safety in education; the psychological framework for working with children and adults; research on how war interacts with family and intergenerational patterns of dealing with aggression.
Law and Safety in Education
Oleksandra Paduchak — lawyer, chair of the NGO “Safe World,” and UNESCO Ukraine expert on preventing and combating violence in educational settings.
In this project, she focuses on legal and institutional aspects: combating bullying, response protocols for aggression and violence, protecting children’s rights, and integrating safety practices into educational institutions.
The Psychological Architecture of the Project
Yulia Gorbacheva — psychologist, business psychologist, coach, and supervisor; psychologist at the NGO “Safe World.”
In this project, she is responsible for the psychological framework and the development of practical approaches for working with children, parents, educators, sports coaches, and professional communities.
Group Coaching Intervention
Iryna Zolotarevych — psychologist, MCC ICF coach, founder of the School of Scaling Coaching. She works on communication development, decision-making, and supporting individuals and teams in stressful situations.
In the project, she is responsible for implementing AgileBrain — a group coaching intervention tool aimed at improving the emotional well-being and self-regulation of children, parents, and educators.
Research and Evaluation of Results
Tetiana Stanislavska—clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst, researcher of transgenerational experiences, and founder of the nonprofit organization “War Trauma Institute.”
In this project, she is responsible for research design and the evaluation of results. The study examines the transgenerational experiences of families, the psychological well-being of adolescents, manifestations of aggression, self-regulation, as well as factors related to the family and school environments.
War Trauma Institute is responsible for a specific research area of the project. We study how families deal with aggression and how these coping mechanisms are passed down from one generation to the next. We also conduct separate research on how war affects attitudes toward aggression and its manifestations in children and adults.
Components of the project
Bullying and the Law
Psychoeducation for children, parents, and educators; legal boundaries of liability; procedures for identifying, documenting, and stopping bullying.
Special attention is given to restoring a sense of safety for the victimized child and working with all parties involved in the situation.
Status: 
already underway.
Aggression Passed Down Through Generations: A Family’s Transgenerational Experience
A study of how ways of dealing with aggression are transmitted and reproduced within families: suppressing anger, explosive reactions, punishment, silence, fear of conflict, the ability to set boundaries, and the ability to repair relationships.
A particular focus is on how war activates or changes these patterns.
Status: 👌 in development.
A Study of Aggression in Children, Parents, and Educators
A study of manifestations of aggression in children, parents, and educators; family and school factors; experiences of war; coping strategies; and attitudes toward aggression.
We will specifically examine parental aggression and its connection to a child’s emotional state and behavior.
Status: 👌 in development.
Groups for Military Children and Children of Internally Displaced Persons
Group programs for children whose parents are serving in the military, are on the front lines, are undergoing treatment, or have returned from war, as well as for children who have been forced to leave their homes. These programs address anger, anxiety, helplessness, separation, the loss of a familiar environment, changes within the family, and perceptions of power, protection, and danger.
Status: planned.
Controlled Aggression in Children in Sports
Physical activity and sports as a safe space for expressing and managing aggression. Working with coaches: how to distinguish competitiveness from violence, teach children to cope with stress, stop when the rules require it, respect boundaries, and use physical force without humiliating their opponents.
Status: planned.
Interacting with Military Personnel
Moderated sessions for children with military personnel on strength, fear, anger, self-control, responsibility, and the line between self-defense and violence. The discussion is structured to avoid glorifying violence, sharing traumatic details, or applying combat strategies to civilian life.
Status: planned.
Creative Formats
Games involving conflict scenarios, role-playing exercises, and relationship-rebuilding activities. The child explores how conflict arises, what happens to them when they feel angry, and what options they have besides lashing out, running away, or staying silent.
Status: planned.
Physical Regulation During Aggression
Training to recognize physical signs of rising aggression and regain control before an impulse turns into action: through movement, resistance, changing distance, voice, rhythm, and safe physical activity.
Status: planned.
Response Protocols for Teachers During Acute Conflicts
Quick steps for situations where a conflict is already unfolding: stop dangerous behavior, separate the parties involved, avoid confronting each other when emotions are running high, assess the risks, reestablish contact, and document the incident.
Status: planned.
The transgenerational component of the project is based on the dissertation research of the founder of the War Trauma Institute, Tetiana Stanislavska, which has undergone academic and ethical review. The results of the Ukrainian adaptation of the HITT-Q are presented in three scientific publications with DOIs. The accumulated methodological experience will be used to develop a separate research design for studying family patterns of aggression management and parental aggression.
We propose a model for cross-sectoral and international partnerships
The goal is to pilot the project at several sites, develop and test research and educational tools, secure grant funding, and present the results in Ukraine and to the international professional community.
We invite schools, after-school and sports organizations, communities, military and veteran groups, Ukrainian and international universities, research centers, clinical institutions, foundations, and grant consortia to collaborate with us
A partner may participate in the entire cycle or in a specific area: providing a research or educational platform, participating in the development of a protocol, training specialists, providing funding, analyzing data, evaluating effectiveness, or contributing to an international publication.
We have been working throughout the war — and we will continue to do so afterward.
Join us.
For inquiries regarding cooperation:
war.trauma.institute@gmail.com
+380 68 95 92 911
About mental health during and after the war (in Ukrainian, but you can use Telegram’s translator):