The most of freelance journalists have symptoms testifying they could have depression – IMI and Rory Peck Trust inquiry

97% of freelance journalists in Ukraine had some or other symptoms which could testify they have depression. As a comparison, last year these figures were at 75%. Such are the results of the poll conducted among the freelance journalists in Ukraine, held by the British Foundation Rory Peck Trust in common with the Institute of Mass Information, with support of UN Democracy Fund on November 2018*.

At the same time, the number of journalists who want to get some psychological aid due to their professional activity and its challenges is decreased by 20% (39% in 2018, if to compare to 2017, when there were 59%).

“I would say this is grave disorder conditioned by stress and emotional burnout. There are several reasons: the war is on, and they work between hammer and anvil: what the media owners demand and what the journalists see in reality, lack of systematic psychological aid within the media outlets the journalists are working for and stigmatization of psychological aid as well”, as Tetyana Konrad, voluntary of Psychological service told IMI.

As to the poll figures, 36% of Ukrainian freelance journalists have been facing threats of physical assault orhave been suffering from assaults in connection to their journalistic activity, since 2014.

In comparison to 2017, there are 13% more (72%) of journalists who need to follow professional trainings on the issues of safety. 34% of freelance freelance journalists said to have experience of working in a war zone, but 13% among them said not possessing yet any protective equipment or individual first aid kit.

*The anonymous poll was held on February-March 2017 and on November 2018, 96 and 97 freelance journalists respectively from all regions of Ukraine took part in this poll.