Classification of stressful factors associated with COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine among Ukrainian military personnel

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine have caused psychological distress, which has led to mental and physical health problems and changes in the behavior patterns of many people. It is known that the cause of such stress in the civilian population is not a pandemic or quarantine in general, but only some of their components. However, although COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine can provoke health disorders also in military personnel, stressful factors directly triggering these disorders have not yet been identified. Aim: to identify the immediate stressors that threaten Ukrainian military personnel health during the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine. Materials and methods. The study was conducted at the Zaporizhzhia Military Hospital and Zaporizhzhia State Medical University between March 2020 and May 2020. A total of 25 military personnel hospitalized during this period were examined. Clinical, psychopathological, psychological examinations was conducted. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale was also used. Results. The stressful factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine, which had provoked health disorders in military personnel, have been identified and systematized into four groups: vital fears, social fears, domestic and organizational stress, abstract experiences. All these groups have been also described here. Conclusions. Identification of psychogenic factors will help to determine targets for psychotherapy and reduce the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine and prevent a decline in fighting capacity.