Structure of psychological consequences of counter-terrorist activity: differentiated approach to rehabilitation

Abstract

Introduction. The article deals with the structure of psychological consequences affecting the officers of internal affairs bodies who took part in the counter-terrorist operation (as part of combined units) in the territory of the Chechen Republic. The relevance of the research is determined by the necessity of substantiation of indications for a differentiated approach to medical and psychological rehabilitation of the law enforcement officers having performed service and combat tasks in special conditions. Methods. The research involved 110 officers of internal affairs bodies, average age 29,38±6,5 years; average period of being in the zone of armed conflict 146,9±79,8 days; number of missions 1,41±0,65. Research methods: anonymous questionnaire, standardised multifactor method of personality research, 16-factor personality questionnaire of R. Kettell, accentuation type identification test of H. Smishek, projective technique ‘Hand-test’, drawing association test of S. Rosenzweig, traumatic stress intensity questionnaire of I. O. Kotenev. Statistical processing of the results was carried out by methods of descriptive and factor analysis (method of principal components and varimax-rotation of the factor structure). Results. The author found six factors that explain 81.89 % of the total dispersion of traits in the structure of psychological consequences of counter-terrorist activity. Two of them - ‘posttraumatic’ (21.4 %) and ‘stuck-posttraumatic’ (7.57 %) factors - include symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as predictors contributing to its prolonged flow. Signs of ‘subthreshold’ (prenosological) posttraumatic stress disorder, in the form of characteristic personality traits were identified: pessimism, psychasthenia, neurotic control, rigidity, impulsiveness, aggressiveness, cyclothymia, emotional ambivalence, ‘getting stuck’ on affect, frustration fixation on self-protection, anxiety, suspiciousness, sensitivity, guilt, social introversion, passivity, egocentricity. They are part of five out of six factors (‘posttraumatic’, ‘unproductive frustration response’, ‘demonstrative-neurotic’, ‘rigid-affective’, ‘stuck-posttraumatic’) and need both timely and diverse measures of medical and psychological rehabilitation. Psychological peculiarities included in the ‘hyperthymic-conform’ factor (12.06% of the variance) can be compensated by psychological correction. The author analysed foreign and national methods of psychological rehabilitation of posttraumatic stress disorder, identified psychotherapeutic ‘targets’ of influence and proposed measures of psychological rehabilitation of internal affairs officers with regard to the factor structure of the consequences.