Models of providing medical and psychological assistance to military personnel
Authors: Klymenko I.S. 
Published: December 2024

Background. The article presents two models of providing medical and psychological assistance to servicemen. The first is the development of a rehabilitation center model, and the second is the development of a protocol model for medical and rehabilitation assistance for various pathologies based on cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Purpose – is to study different models of organising medical and psychological rehabilitation of servicemen as a result of the war in Ukraine. To achieve this goal, the methods of systematic, bibliosemantic and retrospective analysis were used to study scientific publications that reflect the specifics of the organisation of medical and psychological rehabilitation of servicemen and to conduct a survey for the study. Based on a careful analysis of modern sources of information, various approaches to the formation and maintenance of an adequate level of mental health were summarised for further development and improvement of domestic measures of medical and psychological rehabilitation of servicemen.

Materials and Methods. The study is based on an analysis of various approaches to providing medical and psychological assistance to military personnel, based on materials from English and Ukrainian publications and media resources. The research corpus includes information from publications such as The Guardian, The Washington Post, as well as websites, services and platforms of the BBC, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence, and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. A wide range of media materials consisting of 72 articles and reports for the period from 2022 to 29.03.2024 was studied. The method of content analysis included a comparative study of the media activity of the relevant websites for the period, a qualitative analysis of different models of providing medical and psychological assistance to military personnel, as well as the identification of keywords and their frequency of use. To study the results before and after the course of rehabilitation and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screening (PCL-5) and the Duty Risk and Resilience Inventory (DRRI-2) were used.

Results. The study revealed that both models have their own advantages and limitations, which may affect their effectiveness in specific military service conditions. Based on the results obtained, the implementation of a comprehensive approach to providing medical and psychological assistance to servicemen is recommended, taking into account both the specific needs of the military sector and the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy. The results of the diagnostic tools, the «Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)» and the «Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory-2 (DRRI-2)», improved after Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The level of PTSD decreased by 16%, depression decreased by 13%, and anxiety levels decreased by 21%. As a result of the conducted rehabilitation, it can be argued that the psycho-emotional state of servicemen returning from the active combat zone has improved according to the defined criteria.

Conclusions. These results indicate the effectiveness and validity of the CBT protocol for treating various pathologies and its potential applicability in a clinical setting. The perspective development of this service lies in the creation and implementation of models of medical and psychological assistance, the establishment of rehabilitation centers, and rehabilitation assistance for various forms of pathologies.