Resistance to Post-traumatic Stress Reactions of Vulnerable Groups Engaged in Pandemic Liquidation

Background and aim of study:

The increase in cases of post-traumatic stress reactions among vulnerable groups engaged in the pandemic liquidation, make the problem urgent for nowadays. The aim of the study: to reveal the peculiarities of mental traumatic influence on military-men engaged into the COVID-19 pandemic liquidation; detail the level of stress, anxiety and depression in order to develop further actions concerning mental support and psycho-prophylaxis.

Research methods:

In order to conduct the research, we have engaged 334 military-men (of different categories: military-men for a regular term and military-men under a contract, officers (of the age from 18 to 40), who performed their duty of maintaining order together with the police. We have shortlisted 3 groups. The structured questionnaire consisted of questions grounded on the following methods: “Mississippi Scale for Estimating Post- Traumatic Reactions (military variant)”; “Depression Anxiety Stress Scales”; “Insomnia Severity Index”. Cronbach’s alpha is 0.817 (good internal consistency).

Results:

By the results of using the Mississippi scale for estimating post-traumatic reactions (military variant), the following fact has been stated: among military-men experienced in battle actions, the quantity of people with PTSR indicators accounted for 1.79%, that is significantly less than among military-men inexperienced in battle actions (3.42%). We have also revealed some certain gender peculiarities.

Conclusion:

Military-men experienced in battle actions display anxiety, depression, stress and sleep disorders considerably more rarely than military-men inexperienced in such. In our mind it is stipulated by the fact that committing professional duties in conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic is less stressful for military-men experienced in battle actions than the battle actions themselves which they are adapted to. Sleep disorders (the average point by “Insomnia Severity Index” methods) have been considerably higher among military-women, than among military-men in all the groups that is connected, with their higher extraversion and stress in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords:

pandemic, anxiety, depression, stress, military-men, COVID-19

Copyright:

© 2020 Melnyk Yu. B., Stadnik A. V., Pypenko I. S. Published by Archives of International Journal of Science Annals

DOI and UDC:

DOI 10.26697/ijsa.2020.1.5; UDC 159.972:616-07:159.938.363.6

Information about the authors:

Melnyk Yuriy Borysovych (Corresponding Author) – https://orcid.org/0000-0002- 8527-4638; [email protected]; Doctor of Philosophy in Pedagogy, Associate Professor; Professor, National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine; Founder and Chairman of the Board, KRPOCH; Director, Scientific Research Institute KRPOCH; Kharkiv, Ukraine. Stadnik Anatoliy Volodymyrovych – https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1472-4224; Doctor of Philosophy in Medicine, Associate Professor, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs; Director, Social-Psychological Center KRPOCH; Kharkiv, Ukraine. Pypenko Iryna Sergiivna – https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5083-540X; Doctor of Philosophy in Economics, Associate Professor, Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics; Co-Director, Scientific Research Institute KRPOCH; Director, Educational Center KRPOCH; Kharkiv, Ukraine.