Changes in the Psychophysiological State of Servicemen After a Long Stay in the Combat Zone

Abstract

The characteristics of transformation of the psychophysiological state of servicemen during a long stay in the combat zone have been studied. The psychophysiological status of servicemen, muscular strength and endurance of right and left arms were assessed. The obtained results indicate that the studied contingent was heterogeneous in its psychophysiological status and was divided into two subgroups «better» and «worse». It was found that the studied psychophysiological parameters are described by two orthogonal factors (65%) - the «activation and stress of the body» factor (38%) and the «quality of cognitive processes» factor (27%). The first factor is the most powerful, this indicates a significant role of a serviceman’s stress-resistance in the conditions of long stay in the combat zone. It was found that this factor is also the leading one in the «worse» subgroup, this to a lesser extent can prevent disorder and unpredictability of behavioral reactions of combatants. In the «better» subgroup «quality of cognitive processes» was the leading factor. It plays a significant role in the balanced activity of functional systems of the body responsible for formation of adaptive behavioral responses during long-term action of high-level stressors. The decisive rules for selection of servicemen best suited for carrying out official duties in conditions of high-risk activities have been developed.

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“…Assessment of the physical state should be quick and have a graded scale of the quality of this condition for the commander to make decisions as soon as possible; d) It is necessary to ensure the absence of overlap of any electrodes; e) Assessment of physical condition should be non-specific to manifestations of various health disorders, severe fatigue or stress-associated diseases [5]; f)…”

“…The analysis of the above group of requirements for testing methods led to the opinion that the testing method can be stabilometry. This method of estimating the degree of displacement of the center of pressure of the serviceman's body, regulated by the vestibular apparatus and the cerebellum, i.e., it is sensitive to integral centralized changes in the operator's physical condition and state of health [6,5]. It takes into account all the formulated requirements for the methodology of assessing the physical condition of a serviceman.…”

“…Solving rules were obtained using a step-by-step discriminant analysis (reliability of discrimination 98%) and their results were verified during the practical application of the proposed method. In addition, it turned out that the representatives of group "3" suffered from corresponding, mainly stress-associated diseases [6,5].…”

Стан Психофізіологічних Функцій У Військових Із Різною Стресостійкістю

“…Контингент військовослужбовців, які тривалий час перебували в зоні проведення бойових дій і більше, ніж рік служили поза цією зоною, є неоднорідним за своїм психофізіологічним статусом. Представники «кращої» підгрупи характеризувалися більш якісними для професійної діяльності показниками психофізіологічних функцій [6].…”