Effectiveness of stress resilience training for servicemembers of the territorial defense forces of the armed forces of Ukraine
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Abstract
Relevance. With the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a significant part of the national resistance was comprised of the newly formed Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. These Forces were primarily composed of individuals who, prior to the invasion, were civilians and therefore lacked the necessary military and psychological training.
Objective. The article aims to present the results of assessing the effectiveness of the training course “Combat Stress: First Psychological Aid and Recovery”, developed with the author’s participation as part of a psychological training program for servicemembers of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The program focuses on enhancing their psychological resilience and readiness for fulfilling service-combat tasks.
Methodology. The article includes survey results from 1 920 participants of the mentioned training sessions. From July 2023 to January 2024, the author, in collaboration with the NGO “Center for Strategic Development “Impulse”” and with NATO support under the Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine, conducted 64 training sessions.
The main research questions addressed the training program topics and their effectiveness assessment.
Results. Participants reported improved psycho-emotional and overall well-being, reduced symptoms of combat stress/PTSD, decreased reactions to stress factors, and the development of effective individual coping strategies for stress management.
Conclusions. Training in the core competencies of first psychological aid not only provided participants with essential knowledge and tools but also enhanced their motivation to further engage in psychological preparation of their unit personnel. It also fostered a culture of mutual support among comrades, positively impacting the psychological resilience and readiness of servicemembers to perform combat tasks.
Future research directions include identifying the socio-psychological factors that enhance the stress resilience of Territorial Defense Forces servicemembers under combat conditions.
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References
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