Stress Resistance and Post-Traumatic Syndrome of Children with Hearing Impairment in War Conditions

Abstract

The aim of the article. The author’s research consisted in psychological diagnosis, the formation of psychological help for families, the creation of protocols for further work with stress and post-traumatic syndrome for psychologists with the category of children with special educational needs, in particular with hearing impairments. The purpose of the study was specified through the series of tasks: first, determination of the main factors and types of traumatic events, their duration under wartime conditions (which were the result of posttraumatic stress disorders) in children with hearing impairment; secondly, ascertainment of the psychological state of children of various ages with hearing impairment under war conditions; thirdly, the development of the basics of psychological assistance under conditions of stress or post-traumatic disorder» for the child through the family» during the war period.

Methods. To solve the outlined tasks and ensure the reliability of the provisions and conclusions, specific scientific methods of research were used, including methods of observation, conversation, interview, questionnaire, collection of medical anamneses. The study covered 62 people with hearing impairments of special boarding schools in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Lviv and Pidkamin. Among the specified number of children, there were also immigrants from other regions of Ukraine. The basis for observation was a pronounced, persistent (≥ 4-6 months) fear or anxiety about one or more social situations in which they may be or have been participants, objects. The situation and fear had to be repeated and cause 4-5 signs characterizing post-traumatic syndrome. Among the main test methods, the «Test for determining the level of anxiety, stress and depression IDR» was used, the «Test-Umbrella» (M. Korchevskyi) and «I and the fence» (O. Lyumarenko) as projective methods.

The results of the research. Based on the results of conversations and observations, it was established that post-traumatic syndrome in children with hearing impairment is a complex of children’s reactions to trauma. A traumatic event is determined by experiences, negative emotions that cause fear, horror, and helplessness in most children. These are situations when a minor has experienced a threat to his own life, cruelty, loss of relatives, death or injury of another person. According to the results of the study, it was established that in the majority of children, symptoms of stress, which were noticeable in the child’s behavior, appeared 3-4 months after the injury. In accordance with the conducted test methods, it was found that most children experience symptoms of reexperiencing a traumatic event. Many children have elevated levels of stress and depression. It is also described in detail that each age category of children with hearing impairment has its own characteristic type of post-traumatic syndrome, depending on age. Each of the types is characterized by a feature of behavioral reactions and affects.

Conclusion. Under the conditions of post-traumatic syndrome, a number of emotional-volitional, regulatory, and behavioral disorders occur in children with hearing impairments, which are often intense in nature and provoked by the family’s attitude towards the child, the style of communication, upbringing or separation from the child, etc. During psychological diagnosis and the formation of psychological assistance, the family (parents, guardians) often complicate the child’s therapy, changing the normal, adequate perception of events to those that will be convenient for adults, teaching them to incorrectly assess the situation and the ways out of it. Further studies of stress and PTSD are ongoing. The obtained results will influence the types of psychological assistance and the creation of protocols for the work of psychologists with stressful conditions under war conditions.