Andrii Bulaitis
Postgraduate Student. National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine, Kharkiv
ORCID 0000-0002-7128-4835
DOI - https://doi.org/10.52363/dcpp-2023.1.1
Keywords: explosive objects, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychotraumatization, pyrotechnics, repeated shelling, stress factors, war.
The article provides the data on the impact of stress factors on the personality of pyrotechnicians of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. The relevance of this topic consists in the fact that the influence of such factors negatively affects the professional activity of pyrotechnicians and affects their psychological health. Pyrotechnicians are the people who work with explosives, so their work is very dangerous and associated with a high level of stress. During the war, when pyrotechnicians usually work in extreme conditions, stress factors can increase significantly. They can influence the personality of pyrotechnicians in various aspects. One of the most obvious effects is the anxiety level increase and the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) developing. Stress factors can also affect the psychological state of pyrotechnicians, reducing their overall level of life satisfaction and ability to perform work. To study this topic, we conducted a pilot research on the basis of the Interregional Center for Humanitarian Demining and Rapid Response of the State Emergency Service, in which the pyrotechnicians aged 24 to 46, who were in the war zone from February 2022 to January 2023, took part. The research consisted of the "Questionnaire of social and psychological study" and the "Questionnaire of primary psychological screening".
Based on the results of the socio-psychological study questionnaire, a list of events that had a negative impact on the personalities of pyrotechnicians while performing their duties in the conditions of hostilities (seven negative phenomena) has been analyzed and formed. Based on these results, it has become obvious that the main stress factor for the pyrotechnicians of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, who took part in the survey, during a full-scale war is coming under fire and in general a threat to human life and health, i.e., those factors that are characterized by an immediate vital threat. According to the results of the questionnaire, the negative impact of stress factors on the activities of sappers can be also seen, and the list of stress manifestations that occurred after coming under fire or after tragic events on duty on the first day and which remain with pyrotechnicians to this day has also been analyzed. It should be noted that 12,500% of respondents still have some or other symptoms.
Thus, it can be argued that stressors can have a significant impact on the pyrotechnician's personality during wartime. It is important to provide support and assistance to pyrotechnicians in order to reduce the negative impact of these phenomena.