EXPERIENCE OF OVERCOMING POST-TRAUMATIC CONDITIONS OF COMBAT PARTICIPANTS

Abstract

Relevance.  Participation in combat leads to intense stress for participants and increases the risk of mental disorders in them, such as PTSD, depression, anxiety disorders. Understanding the nature and mechanisms of the latter will help develop more effective methods of psychological support and rehabilitation of veterans, reducing the risk of their long-term impact on the quality of life. The study of mental changes in combat participants makes it possible to improve existing rehabilitation programs, taking into account the individual needs of veterans, which helps to achieve a more sustainable effect in their recovery and reintegration.

The purpose of the study: to identify the features of post-traumatic reactions in veterans and develop the content of the appropriate rehabilitation program and verify its effectiveness.

Methodology. The study used theoretical methods (analysis, generalization and systematization); empirical methods 1) "Scale of the Impact of a Traumatic Event" by M. Horowitz; 2) the questionnaire "Post-Traumatic Growth" by R. Tadashi, L. Calhoun. 3) "Mississippi Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale" T.M. Keap). 4) Narrative analysis. 5) "Unfinished Sentences" Methodology by M. Sachs. Author's program for developing motivation for success, skills of self-knowledge and self-improvement, responsibility and self-regulation.

Results. At the beginning of the study, most servicemen demonstrated stress disorders. Many of them are characterized by isolation, which complicates work in a group during rehabilitation. Simultaneously with stress disorders, a slight tendency towards post-traumatic growth was recorded. After the author's program, the experimental group of servicemen showed a significant increase in positive effects, in particular, post-traumatic stress disorder was not recorded in 80%, and the indicators of post-traumatic growth of the participants increased significantly.

Conclusions. The prepared rehabilitation program for military personnel can be recommended to psychological care institutions as effective in combating the consequences of hostilities in their participants.