The Bulletin of National Defence University of Ukraine

  • Received 22.05.2025,
  • Revised 30.10.2025,
  • Accepted 27.11.2025
Download article Download article
Vol. 20, No. 6, 2025
  • military personnel; combat mental trauma; cognitive sphere; cognitive processes; mental states
  • https://doi.org/10.33099/2617-6858-25-20-6-85-92
  • Pages 85-92

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the fact that a full-scale war and the traumatic experience of participants in military operations significantly transform their emotional and personal resources, causing scientific and practical interest in the investigation of this problem. The purpose of the study was to find out how traumatic experiences affect the cognitive resources of the personality of combatants. A set of theoretical methods and empirical methods was used. The study included 189 people who were treated or examined in a military hospital. It has been established that traumatic experiences, caused by various reasons and of varying duration, significantly distort the use of personal resources, particularly cognitive resources. Cognitive impairments relate primarily to the main indicators of perception speed, attention, and short-term memory. It has been established that increased personal anxiety leads to noticeable disturbances in attention span, and increased depression leads to problems with shifting attention. Delayed experience of participation in combat operations leads to depressive experiences, while delayed experience of participation in the elimination of the consequences of combat operations leads to increased personal anxiety. The results of the study confirmed that traumatic experience leads to characteristic changes in the emotional and personal sphere of combatants and significantly affects their personal (cognitive) resources. The results of the study can be applied in rehabilitation programmes for military personnel with traumatic experiences, in particular, to restore their cognitive resources and form effective strategies for adapting to civilian life. The data obtained enrich the international discourse on the impact of traumatic experiences on the cognitive resources of combatants

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