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Current War in Ukraine: Lessons from the Impact of War on Combatants’ Mental Health during the Last Decade

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  • Andriy Haydabrus

    (Department of Neurology, Psychiatry, Narcology and Medical Psychology, School of Medicine, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, 61022 Kharkiv, Ukraine)

  • Mikel Santana-Santana

    (Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
    Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Yuriy Lazarenko

    (Military Medical Clinical Center of the Northern Region, 61000 Kharkiv, Ukraine)

  • Lydia Giménez-Llort

    (Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
    Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain)

Abstract

Ukrainian Military Hospital retrospective analysis during a decade of conflicts (3995 records) unveils specific mental health ICD-10-CM distribution per rank and the long-lasting impact of active conflict or trench warfare. Most hospitalizations in all years of observation were among soldiers. Anxiety-related disorders have been present since ‘peacetime’, mainly among professional soldiers and high ranks, pointing to the need for rank-tailored psychological training in skills to reduce the anxiety burden. High frequency of psychoactive substance use emerged with acute conflicts and in nonprofessional soldiers during wartime. This dictates the need to strengthen the selection of military personnel, considering the tendency to addiction. Military operations multiply the hospitalizations in psychiatric hospitals. The data warn about a ‘need for free beds effect’, which is worse for soldiers. This is relevant to estimating and planning the need for hospital resources for the current situation where the general population has been recruited for defense. In the current war, tightening the rules of sobriety in units and up to a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages in areas where hostilities are taking place is recommended. The specific impact on nonprofessional soldiers is relevant to the current war, with the general population of Ukraine recruited for defense and combat.

Suggested Citation

  • Andriy Haydabrus & Mikel Santana-Santana & Yuriy Lazarenko & Lydia Giménez-Llort, 2022. "Current War in Ukraine: Lessons from the Impact of War on Combatants’ Mental Health during the Last Decade," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-9, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:17:p:10536-:d:896177
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Goldberg, J. & Eisen, S.A. & True, W.R. & Henderson, W.G., 1990. "A twin study of the effects of the Vietnam conflict on alcohol drinking patterns," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 80(5), pages 570-574.
    2. Abanoub Riad & Anton Drobov & Martin Krobot & Natália Antalová & Muhammad Abdullatif Alkasaby & Aleš Peřina & Michal Koščík, 2022. "Mental Health Burden of the Russian–Ukrainian War 2022 (RUW-22): Anxiety and Depression Levels among Young Adults in Central Europe," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-14, July.
    3. Clarissa Cricenti & Emanuela Mari & Benedetta Barchielli & Alessandro Quaglieri & Jessica Burrai & Alessandra Pizzo & Ivan D’Alessio & Anna Maria Giannini & Stefano Ferracuti & Giulia Lausi, 2022. "Can Emotion Regulation Affect Aggressive Responses? A Study on the Ukrainian–Russian Conflict in a Non-Directly Exposed Sample," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-14, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Martin P Deahl & Michael Andreassen, 2023. "Ukraine: Meeting the mental health needs of service veterans," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 69(7), pages 1825-1828, November.

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