PSYCHOLOGICAL RECOVERY OF UKRAINIAN MILITARY PERSONNEL AFTER A LONG PARTICIPATION IN HOSTILITIES

Abstract

With the beginning of the large-scale invasion of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, Ukrainian military personnel of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, after participating in combat operations, began to experience combat stress, which manifested itself in the form of acute stress reactions, affective and anxiety disorders, adaptation disorders, addictive and delinquent behavior, suicidal manifestations. Therefore, for such military personnel, after long-term participation in hostilities, it is necessary to carry out measures of psychological recovery.  The developed seven-day  "Invincibility Program" was implemented during

2022‒2023 in a rehabilitation center located not far from the combat zone, where more than 3500 military personnel underwent psychological recovery. The purpose of the psychological recovery program for military personnel after participating in combat operations was to eliminate the negative impact of combat stress on the psyche of combatants, strengthen mental health and mobilize their psychological resources, improve adaptation to combat conditions, and return military personnel to combat activities as soon as possible. In order to carry out the psychological recovery of military personnel after the completion of combat missions, the testimony was formulated, which established the fact that the combatants experienced events that go beyond ordinary human experience, capable of traumatizing the psyche of any healthy person. The main measures included in the "Invincibility Program" were conducted in group form and consisted of three blocks: psychological, medical, and social. The program's activities led to an improvement in the mental state and positive significant changes in the well-being of its participants, the mobilization of psychological resources, and an increase in the resilience of military personnel to combat stress.