Healthy lifestyle strategies of combatants and volunteers in war conditions

Abstract

Relevance. In the conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian war the task of restoring and preserving health, ensuring a healthy lifestyle (HLS) of combatants and volunteers actualized significantly, because they are the most active part of Ukrainian society, play important role in the victory and in the future restoration of the Ukrainian state.

The purpose of the article is to determine the key HLS factors of the combatants and volunteers, and the leading strategies and means of recovery and preservation their HLS in the conditions of war.

Methodology. Comparative analysis of foreign and domestic concepts of mental health, generalization of theoretical and empirical research on psychological rehabilitation and socio-psychological support of veterans and volunteers of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Results. The main traumatic factor of the Russian-Ukrainian war is defined as a projection of imperial mythology of the "Russian World", which the Russian power structures are trying to impose on the Russian and Ukrainian ethnic groups. The genocidal nature of the practical implementation of this projection is noted. As results of these actions, there are the actualization of socio-psychological mechanisms of dehumanization and generalization in the relations of Ukrainian ethnic groups. Accordingly, this projection caused psychological trauma, internal conflicts, a state of hatred and revenge against ethnic Russians and representatives of other ethnic groups of the Russian state among a certain part of combatants and volunteers. There are specified main strategies, directions and means of restoration and preservation the integrity of the personality of the combatants and volunteers in relevant areas of their healthy lifestyle. Among the strategies are the following. 1) The use of psychtrauma as a resource for post-traumatic spiritual and personal growth. 2) Comprehensive restoration and preservation of the psychological integrity of the individual. 3) Formation and strengthening of psychosocial solidarity, group identity of combatants and volunteers. 4) Comprehensive socio-psychological support for the preservation of HLS, promotion of their personal development. 5) Ensuring the stability of the HLS and prevention of its violations.. There is indicated expediency and perspective of using the author's version of V. Frankl's method of paradoxical intention regarding the transformation of psychotraumas, associated negative states, internal conflicts into resources for the restoration of psychological integrity and post-traumatic personal growth. In general, the result of the complex application of the mentioned means is the development of sustainable prosocial practices of social welfare both in individuals and in the community of combatants and volunteers.

Conclusions and prospects. In order to restore and preserve the psychosocial health of combatants and volunteers, it is expedient widely implement the above-mentioned strategies of HLS in their environment, to develop the most effective means of their realization. It is very promising to study the relevant strategies of the IDPs and their implementation in relation to internally displaced persons and citizens, who forced to leave for foreign countries during the martial law in Ukraine.