Clinical and psychological features of combined trauma in servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian war

Анотація

The analysis of literature shows that servicemen who participated in armed conflicts occupy a special place in the group of people with an increased risk of developing psychogenic disorders. However, this issue remains virtually unexplored in servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who participated in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Objective – to identify the clinical and psychological features of combined trauma in servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who are participants in the Russian-Ukrainian war. The paper presents the results of a clinical and psychological examination of 63 male servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who are combatants and sustained injuries in the period from 2022 to 2023. The average age of the patients was 41.0 ±2.36 years.  The comparison group consisted of 48 men aged 42.08±4.02 years who had participated in combat operations until 2022, did not complain of impaired memory and attention, had no history of traumatic brain injury, and at the time of the study (acute and chronic (acute) diseases. Patients were divided into 3 subgroups: 18 people with shrapnel wounds as a result of mine-blast injuries, 12 with contusions and 33 with other types of injuries. All patients were found to be prone to anxiety disorders and depression. In accordance with the criteria of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), reactions to severe stress and adaptation disorders (F43) were diagnosed, followed by other anxiety disorders (F41), and comorbid variants (F06) to a lesser extent. As a result of the distribution of the examined servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who are participants in the Russian-Ukrainian war and were injured while performing their duties during 2022-2023, depending on the level of intensity of combat experience, it was found that the level of intensity of combat experience was reduced in 9.5% of cases, moderate – in 52.4%, and increased – in 38.1%.The obtained results allowed us to include 27 (42.8%) people in the risk group of developing long-term consequences of the stress reaction already at a moderate level of intensity of combat experience. The main clinical and psychological features of combined traumas in military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who participated in combat operations in the period from 2022 to 2023 are the predominant development of reactions to severe stress and adaptation disorders (F43), anxiety and depressive disorders, and the presence of mild cognitive impairment. The identified clinical and psychological features of trauma in the Armed Forces of Ukraine of the Russian-Ukrainian war participants should be taken into account when improving the rehabilitation system for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.