Psychometric Properties of the Method �assessment of Negative Mental Reactions and States in Military Servicemen� and Experience of Its Use in Short-Term Psychological Recovery

Abstract

The results of the developed methodology "Assessment of negative mental reactions and conditions in military personnel" are presented. The methodology consists of 16 statements, the results of which determine the presence of negative psychological symptoms in military personnel associated with participation in combat operations, and is a convenient tool for assessing the dynamics of the state in the conditions of short-term psychological rehabilitation programs. In contrast to the existing methods of diagnosing negative mental reactions and personality states that arose after participation in hostilities, the developed psychodiagnostic toolkit is able to take into account the physical and mental fatigue of the interviewees, the deterioration of their attention and other cognitive dysfunctions associated with experiencing a stressful experience; able to visually demonstrate changes in mental state that occurred during the psychological rehabilitation program. In addition to the information useful for the psychologist, during individual counseling, the visual form has a therapeutic effect for the serviceman himself, who is convinced of the effectiveness and usefulness of these measures; it is convenient for summarizing data and receiving feedback from the psychologist about the effectiveness of introducing new measures into psychological recovery programs; useful for obtaining information about the effectiveness of individual counseling work, providing the psychologist with a reflection on his professional activity. With the existing workload on psychologists, there is a need for supervision and their rotation in institutions that carry out psychological rehabilitation. The developed method was tested on a sample of more than 1,300 servicemen who took part in the psychological rehabilitation program.