Psychosomatic Medicine and General Practice

Phenomenological structure of mental disorders in combatants

Mariia Shuliakova — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Background. Combat veterans represent a high-risk group for the development of stress-related mental disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depressive conditions. The high comorbidity of symptoms contributes to a complex phenomenological structure of mental pathology, necessitating comprehensive investigation.

Methods. The study involved 410 combat veterans undergoing medical and psychological rehabilitation in specialized healthcare institutions. Clinical-psychopathological, psychometric, and statistical methods were applied. Mental state assessment included the Spielberger–Khanin Anxiety Scale, GAD-7, PHQ-9, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, PCL-5, SAN method (well-being–activity–mood), Schulte tables, and Luria’s “10 words” test.

Results. A high prevalence of anxiety (72.7%), depressive (58.8%), post-traumatic (45.4%), and asthenic (52.2%) symptoms was identified. Mean scores were: GAD-7 — 11.9 ± 4.2, PHQ-9 — 12.7 ± 4.5. A decrease in psychofunctional state was observed (SAN: well-being — 3.6 ± 0.9; activity — 3.3 ± 0.8; mood — 3.7 ± 0.7), along with reduced cognitive performance (Schulte tables — 53.2 ± 11.6 s; memory test — 6.1 ± 1.8 words). Significant correlations were found between anxiety and depression (r = 0.64; p < 0.01), as well as negative correlations with psychofunctional state (r = −0.48; p < 0.05).

Discussion. The findings indicate the predominance of anxiety-depressive symptomatology combined with post-traumatic manifestations, consistent with current concepts of combat stress psychopathology. Asthenic and cognitive impairments reflect reduced adaptive capacity and may result from prolonged psycho-emotional stress exposure.

Conclusions. Mental disorders in combat veterans are characterized by a complex, multidimensional phenomenological structure with dominant anxiety-depressive and post-traumatic syndromes. High symptom comorbidity and the presence of cognitive and asthenic impairments justify the need for a comprehensive approach to diagnosis and rehabilitation.

Keywords: mental disorders, mental disorders, combatants,PTSD, depression, anxiety, rehabilitation, psychocorrection

Suicidal tendencies in patients with mental disorders

Daria Gryshko, Nataliia Otroshchenko — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Relevance. The relevance of this article is determined by the increasing prevalence of suicidal tendencies worldwide, and particularly in Ukraine. It also depends on the lack of development of psychological and psychiatric support for patients with mental disorders exhibiting these tendencies. There is an acute need for the improvement of methods of early diagnosis and the design of effective programs aimed at prevention of suicidal trends in patients with mental disorders.

Aim. The definition of directions for improving psychological and psychiatric support for psychiatric patients with suicidal tendencies through the analysis of studies into the indicated problems.

Materials and methods. The study involved the systematization, analysis, and synthesis of the literature on the topic of suicidal tendencies in patients with mental illnesses. The sources were obtained from scientific databases such as PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Google Scholar.

Discussion. The most recent studies have identified a significant increase in the risk of suicide and overall mortality among patients with bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions. These results highlight the necessity of early identification of high-risk groups and the implementation of systematic preventive measures in psychiatric practice. The literature review demonstrates a significant increase in the risk of developing suicidal tendencies, such as severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, impaired impulse control, maladaptation, and difficulties in social interaction. Our own observations also revealed that combination of affective fluctuations and social isolation often contributes to the formation of suicide risk even in the absence of psychotic symptoms. Effective directions may include social adaptation programs after inpatient treatment, psychoeducational support for families, regular psychological and psychiatric monitoring suicidal tendencies, and the establishment of rapid-response crisis services.

Conclusions. The analysis of the literature confirms the considerable prevalence of suicidal tendencies among patients with mental disorders, particularly in context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. It also highlights the insufficient development of diagnostic and preventive measures, the need for further research on this pressing issue, and importance of improving of implementing governmental programs for psychological and psychiatric support for the affected patients.

Keywords: suicidal tendencies, mental disorders, diagnosis, prevention, psychological and psychiatric care.

Interrelationships of psychoemotional reactions in women after perinatal loss: correlation analysis

Tetiana But , Inna Mukharovska — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Background. Perinatal loss is associated with a wide range of psychoemotional and somatic reactions that often exhibit a comorbid pattern. However, the structural relationships between grief, posttraumatic stress, affective distress, somatic symptoms, avoidance, and negative cognitions remain insufficiently explored. Understanding these associations is important for substantiating a comprehensive approach to psychological support for women after perinatal loss.

Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted (n=67 women; August 2023 – October 2025) using an online survey with snowball sampling. Nine validated psychometric instruments were applied: TGI-SR+, PGS, PCL-5, PHQ-4, SSS-8, DAAPGQ, GCQ, CSI-32, and SCES+. Normality was assessed using the Shapiro–Wilk test; due to mixed distribution patterns, Spearman’s rank correlation was used for all variable pairs. Analyses were performed using Python and EZR v1.54; the level of significance was set at p<0.05.

Results. A consistent pattern of associations between indicators of psychoemotional distress was identified. Measures of grief intensity (TGI-SR+, PGS), posttraumatic stress (PCL-5), anxious-depressive distress (PHQ-4), avoidance (DAAPGQ), negative cognitions (GCQ), and somatic distress (SSS-8) demonstrated moderate to strong positive correlations (ρ=0.47–0.86, all p<0.001). The strongest association was observed between negative cognitions and perinatal grief intensity (GCQ and PGS; ρ=0.861). Coping efficacy (SCES+) showed stable negative correlations with all symptomatic indicators (ρ=−0.46–−0.67, all p<0.001), whereas relationship satisfaction (CSI-32) was positively associated with SCES+ (ρ=0.25, p<0.05) and negatively with PCL-5 (ρ=−0.29, p<0.05).

Discussion. The findings indicate a high degree of interrelatedness among psychoemotional responses following perinatal loss and are consistent with transdiagnostic approaches to understanding psychological distress. Coping efficacy appears to function as a potential protective factor, while relationship satisfaction represents an additional relational resource.

Conclusions. Psychoemotional responses after perinatal loss are characterized by strong interconnections between grief, traumatic stress, affective, and somatic distress. Coping efficacy emerges as a key protective factor. The findings support the relevance of a comprehensive approach to psychological support following perinatal loss.

Keywords: perinatal loss; grief; posttraumatic stress disorder; depression; anxiety; somatic distress; coping; correlation analysis; psychological adaptation.

УДК 159.9:616.89:618.39

Predictors of cyber addiction formation in youth during martial law

Viktoria Ogorenko, Andrii Shornikov, Oleksandr Shornikov — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Background. Cyberaddiction is a type of behavioral addiction that is often associated with emotional distress, primarily anxiety and depression. During prolonged military stress, the likelihood of developing maladaptive coping strategies - especially excessive Internet use - increases significantly. However, the mechanisms by which anxiety influences cyberaddiction through depression as a mediating factor are still not well understood.

Materials and Methods. In May-June 2025, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 86 students aged 10 to 28 years. The Young Student Cyber Addiction Scale (YSCAS) was used to assess cyberaddiction, while anxiety was measured using the GAD-2 scale, depression using the PHQ-2 scale, and general distress using the PHQ-4 scale. The analysis involved descriptive statistics, group comparisons, Spearman correlations, logistic regression, mediation analysis (with 5,000 bootstrap samples), and k-means clustering.

Results. The median score on the YSCAS was 47 points (interquartile range: 42–58). Respondents identified with cyberaddiction exhibited significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression. Depressive symptoms showed a stronger correlation with addiction (Cohen’s d > 1.0). The correlations were as follows: YSCAS with PHQ-4 (rs = 0.63), YSCAS with PHQ-2 (rs = 0.62), and YSCAS with GAD-2 (rs = 0.54). Mediation analysis confirmed an indirect effect of anxiety on cyberaddiction through depression; the direct effect, after controlling for depression, became insignificant.

Discussion. Depression appears to play a crucial role in mediating the relationship between anxiety and cyberaddiction. In wartime, the Internet can serve as an emotional escape, particularly for young individuals experiencing depressive symptoms.

Conclusions. Cyberaddiction among youth during wartime is closely linked to psychological and emotional distress, with depressive symptoms serving as a key predictor. These findings suggest that screening for depression could be beneficial in prevention programs aimed at addressing cyberaddiction.

Keywords: сyberaddiction, anxiety, depression, youth, martial law, mediator analysis.

УДК 616.89-008.441.44:004.738.5-053.81

Characteristics of behavioural regulation in children with autism spectrum disorder during performing memory and recognition tasks

Mariia Maksimova, Andrii Hura — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Relevance. Autism spectrum disorder is one of the most widely discussed neurodevelopmental disorders, most commonly diagnosed in childhood. People with this disorder fall into the category of those with special educational needs. Under the law, this category requires additional support in the organisation of the learning process. Ukraine is making rapid progress in the development of inclusive education and creating safe learning environments. Effective organisation of this process requires an understanding of the nature of the deficit, particularly in terms of cognitive functioning. Research into the characteristics of activity regulation in this context may be useful for adapting educational programmes and increasing the effectiveness of learning for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Objective. To investigate the impact of behavioural strategies on task performance in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Methods. The study involved 50 children aged 5–6 years attending pre-school educational institutions. Of these, 25 had a confirmed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and 25 were neurotypical children. The main tool was the ‘Memorisation and recognition of two groups of three real images’ technique, designed for children aged 5–8 years, taken from the ‘Album for Neuropsychological and Pathopsychological Research of Children and Adults’. Mathematical and statistical methods were used to analyse the results.

Results. Statistical analyses revealed a positive correlation between voluntary regulation strategies and performance levels during task execution, particularly under repeated cognitive load.

Conclusions. The study found that children with autism spectrum disorder demonstrate differences in their use of adaptive and maladaptive behavioural strategies whilst performing tasks, which partly influence their performance outcomes.

Key words: autism spectrum disorder, behavioural regulation, cognitive load.