EMOTIONAL TENSION IN COMBATANTS' FAMILIES

Abstract

The article presents the results of the study on the psychological atmosphere in the families of combatants. The research indicates that emotional tension in the families of military personnel is significantly higher compared to families which do not have a member in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The study also found that members of combatants’ families exhibit a higher level of intolerance to uncertainty. This intolerance is linked to an individual tendency to perceive unexpectedness, complexity, and ambiguity as threatening, which leads to increased anxiety, confusion, and sense of uncertainty.

A correlation between gender and intolerance to uncertainty was observed: women demonstrated higher levels of intolerance to uncertainty than man. However, no relationship was found between gender and other types of anxiety, such as prognostic or oppressive anxiety.

A notable feature of military personnel families is the transformation of traditional gender roles, particularly the adoption of previously atypical behaviors and responsibilities by women. One of such roles is emotional stabilization. In civilian families, this role is more commonly associated with men, but in combatants’ families this distinction is diminished, approaching gender parity.

The respondents mentioned spirituality and faith, work and study; communication and mutual support; hobbies, entertainment and physical activities as the most common ways to overcome emotional stress. We found some differences between combatants’ families and civilian families in the methods they use to deal with anxiety. To cope with emotional stress, members of combatants’ families rely less on faith and spiritual practices, instead favoring communication and mutual support. They also tend to underestimate the effectiveness of psychological techniques for emotional stabilization and may relay to inadequate methods, such as alcohol consumption, to relieve stress.