The thesis presents a theoretical generalization and a new solution to the problem of combat stress among the servicemen. The essence of the combat stress concept, the consequences of its effect on servicemen, and ways of its regulation are determined. The peculiarities of the psyche functioning among the servicemen in different environments and the influence of stress factors are established. The combat stress among the soldiers at the stages and levels of its manifestation is characterized.
There are five areas of research defined on the effects of combat stress, which include: training of specialists to act in extreme conditions; the study of combat stress during combat operations; consideration of the consequences of the effects of combat stress; providing psychological assistance to the wounded servicemen, the disabled as the result of participation in combat actions under the conditions of taking a course of psychological rehabilitation; organization of medical and psychological assistance to participants in military activities.
The complex nature of the impact on the psyche of servicemen of both internal and external stressors of combat activities is revealed. Leading internal factors are assessed subjectively and have a direct and indirect emotional impact on servicemen. There are three main external factors: duration (time factor), intensity (environmental factor), and power (the factor of a servicemen personality). The leading external power factor is substantiated and used to explain the complex effects of combat stress for the first time.
Here was characterized and described combat stress, which has a significant impact on servicemen, leads to combat mental traumas and personality disorders. Here was highlighted the process of servicemen’s personality deformation, which is exacerbated by changes in their life orientations, the range of emotions and feelings of negative direction, the formation and development of post-traumatic stress disorders, the impact of injuries, and disabilities.
The author's method of forecasting psychogenic losses, which has been used in the Armed Forces for more than 15 years and has proved itself positively during combat and training-combat activities, is presented. For the first time, the levels of psychogenic losses of servicemen in the military conflict in Donbas are substantiated and shown. The total number of dead and wounded Ukrainian servicemen has been established. We have for the first time substantiated and built a model of a three-tier system of providing psychological assistance to servicemen.
It was found that a significant number of servicemen have a high level of combat stress, and signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Their highest levels are set for wounded soldiers. Significant links are shown between the experience of combat stress by military personnel and their faith in God.
It is proved that the participation of military personnel in combat operations significantly affects the crucial motives of service (professional motives, motives of self-improvement, self-creation, socio-economic motives); motivation to participate in combat operations; mental states; the level of manifestations of individual psychological qualities of personality; the level of experience of participants in combat operations.
The success of providing psychological help with the use of metaphorical associative maps "Stress-stop!", "Compass of choosing a profession", self-training and music therapy are outlined and empirically studied. The WMA express scale was used to record the changes. All the indicators of well-being, mood, and activity of the WMA scale when comparing their levels at the beginning of work, as well as after its completion, had significant differences (the activity of fighters after self-training as close as possible to a statistically significant level).
The main strategies of combatants' behavior in the conditions of combat stress are shown in the model "Compass"; the model of formation of combat stress disorders are present in the model "Cross"; the model of psychological rehabilitation of servicemen "Transition"; as well as the model of combat stress "Lighthouse", are the result of theoretical analysis and empirical generalization research.
Author's questionnaires of combat stress by Blinov O.A. (CSQB) were developed, passed mathematical verification and approbation, as well as screening for post-traumatic stress disorder (SQ PTSD) (Blinov O.A., Maksymenko S.D., Chernenko I.O.). Also, there was created an express scale for determining well-being, mood, and activity (WMA), a tablet for work with an 8-color test by M. Luscher, a deck of metaphorical associative photographs "Stress-stop!" and metaphorical associative maps "Compass of choosing a profession".
