Objective. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted in numerous physical and mental injuries among Ukrainian civilians and military personnel, which required timely and appropriate care and rehabilitation. This study was focused on the clinical assessment of physical and mental health issues among military patients of rehabilitation centers.
Methods. Clinical assessment was performed and reported writtengly by clinical psychologists and physicians from rehabilitation hospitals of Kyiv during 2022-2024. Mental health conditions evaluation included the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The study involved medical reports about 476 male patients aged 21 to 65 (M = 31.8, SD = 14.2) years old.
Results. The somatic comorbidity analysis revealed that the most common combination was a co-occurrence of digestive system diseases with nervous system pathologies (Hedges' g = 138.68). PTSD (Hedges' g = 18.34) and depressive disorders (Hedges' g = 17.84) were observed in the group with digestive system diseases most often. Anxiety disorders were most prevalent among individuals with nervous system diseases (Hedges' g = 13.45).
Conclusions. This data contributes to the previous knowledge about the relationship between physical and mental health in a population affected by war in a complex biopsychosocial framework. The presence of chronic or acute somatic diseases significantly increases the likelihood and intensity of developing specific mental disorders. This should be taken into account while providing the injured military personnel with appropriate mental health care during their rehabilitation.