Stress level and its signs in cadets and officers in the process of training and combat activity under martial law

Stress is a physiological state characterized by the human body's reaction to prolonged negative events, namely: dangers, excessive mental and emotional stress, grief, obligations placed on a person, making important decisions that occur at a rapid pace, and often a combination of several negative events occurring simultaneously. The article investigates the level of stress and the features of its symptoms in cadets and officers in the process of training and combat activity under martial law. The study was conducted in 2023-2024 at the Military Institute of Tank Troops of the National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute». The study was attended by: 276 cadets of the 1st-4th years of study; 71 listeners of the master’s level of education; 103 officers of the institute. Research methods: analysis and generalization of literary sources, psychodiagnostic methods, methods of mathematical statistics. The level of stress and its symptoms were determined using the V. Yu. Shcherbatykh test. It was found that after performing training and combat activity under martial law, officers, compared to listeners and cadets, had a significantly higher level of all stress symptoms and stress level. At the end of the study, the stress level of officers of all age groups is higher than in other groups, with a statistically significant probability (p≤0.001) and is assessed as pronounced stress (in other groups – moderate stress). It was found that there were no significant differences in the levels of manifestation of stress symptoms among officers of different age groups, which indicates an equally negative impact of stress on servicemen of different ages. The main indicator of the negative impact of stress factors is the duration of stay in stressful conditions. The study indicates an urgent need to form stress resistance of cadets during training to ensure the effectiveness of their educational activity in martial law and further combat activity, as well as to form skills in using available means to prevent stress in the process of training and combat activity.