This dissertation presents a comprehensive theoretical and empirical study of the psychological features of readaptation among personnel of the security and defense sector of Ukraine following participation in combat operations.
The study’s relevance stems from the strategic imperative to preserve Ukraine’s human and economic capacity. A systematic and scientifically grounded approach to the readaptation of combatants, as well as the transformation of combat experience into a constructive civilian resource in wartime conditions, remains insufficiently explored. Effective readaptation of security and defense personnel is a critical prerequisite for sustainable post-war recovery of the state, strengthening social cohesion, and the development of a resilient society capable of stable growth.
The object of the study is the readaptation of individuals who have experienced extreme and crisis events. The subject of the study comprises the psychological characteristics, factors, and mechanisms underlying the readaptation of employees of the security and defense sector of Ukraine after combat participation.
The aim of the research was to identify the psychological features of readaptation within this group of people and to develop a comprehensive program of psychological assistance and social readaptation that takes into account the specific nature of combat experience and facilitates successful reintegration into civilian life and professional activity. To achieve this aim, the study addressed several objectives: systematizing theoretical approaches to veterans’ readaptation; developing and validating diagnostic tools; conducting an empirical investigation of psychological features of readaptation among security and defense personnel; and designing and substantiating a comprehensive readaptation program accompanied by practical recommendations for psychologists and specialists of the security and defense sector.
The scientific novelty of the study lies in the theoretical substantiation of an original seven-component model of readaptation that ensures an integrated return to civilian life through the synchronized stabilization of psychological, existential, physical, professional, family, social, and institutional-legal domains. For the first time, four levels of combatants’ readaptation (critical, low, sufficient, and high) were identified within the framework of life-resource dynamics. A strategy for transforming military experience through a competency transfer method was developed, enabling an adaptive transition from combat skills to civilian and public-sector activities.
The diagnostic framework for studying combatants was refined, in particular, through the development of the “Combat Profile” methodology, which integrates traumatisation screening with an assessment of personal resources. The psychological support model for veterans was modernized through the creation of a structured readaptation program that outlines stages in the transformation of military identity into civilian identity. The study further advances theoretical perspectives on post-traumatic growth and the staged nature of combat experience and identifies key predictors and barriers to successful readaptation.
The practical significance of the research lies in the development and implementation of the “Combat Profile” methodology for operative screening of critical risks and designing individualized recovery trajectories. An original set of physical exercises aimed at stabilizing psychophysiological functioning through regulation of neuroendocrine stress mechanisms was developed and tested in combat conditions. A comprehensive psychological readaptation program and a ten-step competency transfer method were created for implementation within relevant institutional structures to ensure systematic support for veterans across all stages of their professional and personal development.
The study sample group included cadets of higher education institutions with specific training conditions; active combat participants representing various units of the security and defense sector of Ukraine; and war veterans who had completed their service (retired, discharged, or demobilized). Veteran research was conducted in cooperation with the Ukrainian Association of Veteran Entrepreneurs, veteran public organizations in the Kyiv, Poltava, and Kharkiv regions, and the contact database of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.
