The Bulletin of National Defence University of Ukraine

This study was devoted to a comprehensive examination of the psychological mechanisms of self-regulation among military personnel of the Ukrainian Defence Forces in the context of the Russian Federation’s prolonged, large-scale armed aggression. The relevance of this work stems from the sharp rise in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among combatants. In the context of high-intensity conventional warfare, the dynamics of stress reactions are cumulative in nature, necessitating a re-evaluation of classical approaches to rehabilitation and a deeper understanding of the regulatory processes of the psyche. The aim of this article was to conduct a theoretical and empirical study of the psychological structure and patterns of functioning of self-regulation mechanisms in military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder to identify key regulatory factors of adaptation and provide a scientific basis for new approaches to psychological rehabilitation within the framework of a new state paradigm and military reintegration standards. The methodological framework was based on a combined strategy that integrated quantitative and qualitative methods. A survey was conducted on a representative sample (n = 1,534), in which 78.9% of respondents were combatants, and 50 in-depth interviews were carried out to verify qualitative patterns of adaptation. Standardised instruments were used for diagnosis: the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Statistical analysis was performed using correlation, variance and factor analyses in the IBM SPSS Statistics v.29 software environment. The empirical data revealed a critical state of mental health among personnel: symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder were verified in 89.2% of respondents. It was found that 45.2% of military personnel have significant deficits in emotional self-regulation, which correlates with the severity of the disorder’s symptoms. A high rate of lack of prior professional help (89.3%) was established, which is justified by the representativeness of the primary screening and reintegration stage. The most common self-regulation strategies identified were social support (39.2%) and physical activity (27.6%). Factor analysis enabled the identification of latent factors determining the adaptability of military personnel in stressful conditions. The study scientifically substantiates the need to integrate the author’s model for monitoring psycho-emotional state and methods of multi-component support into state rehabilitation protocols. The results can be used to improve the functioning of emergency and primary care units, facilitating the transition to systematic case management in Ukraine’s security and defence sector

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