PATHOPHYSCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS IN COMBATANTS

Viktoriia  Sukharieva; Hanna  Kozhyna; Inna  Chernenko; Vasyl  Lytvynenko

doi:10.21272/eumj.2025;13(1):122-129

Viktoriia Sukharieva Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology with courses in psychiatry and narcology, medical psychology, occupational diseases at the Educational, Research Medical Institute, Sumy State University, Sumy, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6556-864X
Hanna Kozhyna Department of Psychiatry, Narcology, Medical Psychology and Social Work of Kharkiv National Medical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2000-707X
Inna Chernenko National Military Medical Clinical Center "Main Military Clinical Hospital" of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2965-1950
Vasyl Lytvynenko Department of Psychiatry, Narcology, Medical Psychology, and Social Work, Kharkiv National Medical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5852-9295

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21272/eumj.2025;13(1):122-129

Keywords: military personnel, combat stress, hospital, mental disorders, mental syndromes.

Abstract

Introduction. During active hostilities, the issue of mental health in our society becomes very acute. The study of the mental health of military personnel participating in the war is particularly relevant. The purpose of the study was to investigate the psychopathological symptoms of disorders specifically related to the stress of war in combatants who were treated in different hospital departments.

Methods. The study included 242 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who were receiving treatment in different hospital departments. Psychodiagnostic assessment was conducted using the GAD-7, PHQ-9, PCL-5, PSS-SR questionnaires, and the DERS scale.

Results. During the psychodiagnostics examination of servicemen treated in the hospital, anxiety-depressive syndrome was significantly more common in patients of the surgical unit, and post-communication syndrome in patients of the neurological unit. Adaptation disorder was found in almost a third of patients in all three departments. PTSD, anxiety disorder, personality and behavioral disorders were detected equally frequently in patients from different hospital departments. An analysis of the relationships between symptoms showed that anxiety-insomnia, post-traumatic and socially maladaptive syndromes were typical for servicemen treated in the therapeutic department, for patients in the neurological department – avoidant, depressive-anxious and insomnia-social syndromes, and for patients in the surgical department – acute traumatic, anxious-depressive and obsessive-avoidant syndromes.

Conclusions. The identified peculiarities of symptoms and syndromes in patients of the therapeutic, neurological and surgical departments indicate the need for a differentiated approach to providing psychological assistance to servicemen undergoing treatment in a hospital, considering their underlying disease.

The special vulnerability of neurological patients to the development of more severe psycho-emotional disorders is of great practical importance, as it indicates the need to develop specific protocols for psychological support for servicemen with neurological injuries.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Volkov D, Abaturova O. Features of mental health of combatants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Collection of Scientific Papers "SCIENTIA", Sydney, Australia, (June 10, 2022; Sydney, Australia): 40–43. Available from: https://previous.scientia.report/index.php/archive/article/view/256.

Shidelko AV. Consequences of the impact of combat stress on the psychological state of a serviceman's personality. Prospects and innovations of science. Series "Pedagogy", "Psychology", "Medicine". 2022;1(6):476–486. https://doi.org/10.52058/2786-4952-2022-1(6)-476-486

Krotyuk, KA. The level of psychological anxiety in servicemen in the JFO zone. Perspectives and innovations of science.2022;2(7):892–899. https://doi.org/10.52058/2786-4952-2022-2(7)-892-899.

Woodruff SI, Galarneau MR, McCabe CT, Luu BN, Sack DI, Han PP. Body-region-specific injuries as predictors of psychosocial outcomes among those injured in combat: Results from the Wounded Warrior Recovery Project. Military Psychology. 2017;29(6):590–600. https://doi.org/10.1037/mil0000181

Kudrenko OV, Afanasenko VS. Influence of stress factors of the combat situation on the psyche of the Air Force servicemen (based on the experience of the ATO. Science and technology of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 2018;2:137–144. Access mode: http://nbuv.gov.ua/UJRN/Nitps_2018_2_21.

Kokun OM, Agayev NA, Pishko IO, Lozinska NS, Ostapchuk VV. Psychological work with servicemen - ATO participants at the stage of recovery: Methodological manual. – K.: Research and Development Centre of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 2017. 282 p.

Vasilieva GV, Kolesnik NV. Emotional and behavioural disorders as a result of PTSD. Habitus. 2021;30:65–69. https://doi.org/10.32843/2663- 5208.2021.30.10.

Blinov AA. The experience of combat stress by military personnel of units and those who are treated in hospital. Psychology and personality.2022;12(1):85–99. https://doi.org/10.33989/2226-4078.2022.1.252055

Blinov AA. Psychology of combat mental trauma: a monograph. K.: Talcom; 2016. 246 p.

Blinov AA. Combat mental trauma: a monograph. K.: Talcom; 2019. 700 p.

Lange RT, Lippa SM, French LM, Bailie JM, Gartner RL, Driscoll AE, et al. Long-term neurobehavioural symptom reporting following mild, moderate, severe, and penetrating traumatic brain injury in U.S. military service members. Neuropsychol Rehabil. 2020;30(9):1762–1785. https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2019.1604385

Lippa SM, French LM, Bell RS, Brickell TA, Lange RT. United States Military Service Members Demonstrate Substantial and Heterogeneous Long-Term Neuropsychological Dysfunction after Moderate, Severe, and Penetrating Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma. 2020;37(4):608–617. https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2019.6696