Bulletin of National Defence University of Ukraine

  • Received 18.03.2026,
  • Revised 31.07.2026,
  • Accepted 25.08.2026
  • Published 31.08.2026
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Volume 21, No. 4, 2026
  • post-traumatic stress disorder; combat stress; psychological rehabilitation; psychosocial support; resilience; emotional regulation
  • https://doi.org/10.33099/2617-6858-26-21-4-19-30
  • Pages 19-30

Research relevance is determined by the need to identify effective approaches to providing psychological support for veterans as they adapt to civilian life, in the context of increasing psychotraumatic consequences of war. The study aimed to provide a theoretical justification for the potential application of art therapy methods in the process of veterans’ adaptation to civilian life and to examine the interrelationships between the psycho-emotional state, social adaptation and social well-being of individuals with combat experience. The study utilised a range of theoretical, empirical and mathematical-statistical methods. The study analysed and systematised contemporary scientific sources on the psychological consequences of combat experience and the potential for applying art therapy were conducted. The empirical study involved 15 male veterans aged between 23 and 61 and used psychodiagnostic techniques to assess their psycho-emotional state, social adaptation and social well-being. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and factor analysis were used to process the results. The findings revealed that most of the respondents exhibited symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as difficulties with socio-psychological adaptation. This was quantitatively confirmed by the fact that primary symptoms of psycho-emotional disorders were identified in 80.0% of respondents, whilst a low level of social adaptation was found in 53.3% of study participants. A strong positive correlation between indicators of psycho-emotional state and the level of social adaptation has been established. At the same time, no significant correlations were found between most components of social well-being and manifestations of post-traumatic symptoms, which may indicate the relative autonomy of individual components of social functioning. Based on the results of factor analysis, two latent structures associated with social inclusion and the process of readaptation were identified. A theoretical analysis of the scientific literature has demonstrated the potential for applying art therapy methods within the system of psychological support for veterans. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using the findings to improve programmes for psychological support and psychosocial care for veterans, as well as to justify the inclusion of art therapy methods in comprehensive rehabilitation measures

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