SECONDARY TRAUMATIZATION OF COMBATANTS' WIVES AS AN INTEGRAL INDICATOR OF THE PSYCHOTRAUMATIC IMPACT OF WAR

Abstract

Background. Today, the Russia's war against Ukraine, which has continued for more than four years, remains one of the most difficult challenges for Ukrainian families. Since military servicemen-combatants perform assigned tasks in various conditions, mostly life-threatening, obtaining relevant data about their actual psychological condition is a difficult task. It should be taken into account that a high level of danger and the impact of combat stress naturally suppress self-reflection and contribute to avoidance as a psychological defence mechanism under distress conditions. The psychological condition of combatants' wives indirectly reflects the level of the psychotraumatic impact of war both on themselves personally and on their partners. The study of the psychosocial profile of combatants' families makes it possible to analyze the psychological condition of respondents and their partners, family relationships, and socio-psychological issues, which will subsequently allow the development of interventions aimed at improving the well-being of military personnel's families. The aim of this article is to investigate the psychological condition of combatants' wives and the psychosocial profile of their families in order to identify key indicators for improving their future psychosocial support.
Methods. The study was conducted using a questionnaire designed to examine the psychosocial profile of military personnel's families, based on a survey of 36 wives of military servicemen-combatants who are currently participating or have long participated directly in combat operations. To substantiate the theoretical part of the research, the methods of analysis, generalization, synthesis, and interpretation of scientific sources were used. To process the obtained data, methods of mathematical statistics were applied, including mean value, standard deviation, and correlation analysis.
Results. The peculiarities of the psychological condition of military servicemembers' wives associated with chronic distress were analyzed. A range of problems faced by combatants, according to their wives, was identified. Psychological problems came to the forefront, including psychological fatigue and exhaustion, as signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which were associated with a significant level of comorbid problems such as negative mood background, increased aggression, sleep disturbances, addictions, and social withdrawal. The main problems of combatants' families were empirically identified and described: insufficient access to psychological assistance and a high need to overcome the consequences of combat stress and psycho-emotional exhaustion; significant changes in partner relationships; a lack of psychosocial support and services, and the need for couples therapy and relationship restoration. The possibilities of a comprehensive approach to providing psychosocial support to military families for the further development of psychosocial support programmes were outlined.
Сonclusions. The duration and intensity of combat operations contribute to the psychological traumatisation of both combatants and their families. The wives of soldiers bear the long-term burden of uncertainty, anxious anticipation, maintaining intimacy in relationships, and responsibility for the family during a period of constant threats associated with the full-scale invasion, and for some, since 2014. This causes changes in the psychological states of partners, the quality of relationships, an increase in conflicts and divorces, the development of addictions, social isolation, and a much greater need for psychological assistance, as evidenced by the results of the empirical study. The conducted analysis of international and domestic experience indicates significant risks of secondary traumatisation in combatants' families and the necessity of developing and implementing comprehensive psychosocial support programmes for such families.