2026/03/06 by Danyil Karakai, Ruslana Moskotina, Tymofii Brik +1
Psychology · #Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion #Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research #Cultural Differences and Values
paper · doi:10.1111/jssr.70037
ABSTRACT This study examines whether feelings of existential insecurity mediate the relationship between war exposure and religiosity. We analyze a nationwide cross‐sectional survey (September 2023; N = 2767) conducted in Ukraine during the ongoing war, applying partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS SEM) to model two outcomes: (1) the importance of the supernatural and (2) engagement in spiritual practices. We test whether direct personal war exposure and vicarious war exposure through media are associated with these two outcomes via heightened feelings of insecurity. We find that war exposure and insecurity show only a modest association with spiritual practices and no association with supernatural beliefs. These findings cast doubts on previous interpretations of the insecurity theory, which we review in our discussion. At the same time, we find that direct traumatic experience is not a prerequisite for feeling threatened—vicarious media exposure is associated with insecurity independently of personal exposure.