SOME FEATURES OF PSYCHICAL AND BEHAVIOR ADAPTATION IN THE COMBATANTS WITH MINE-EXPLOSIVE MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

This research was focused on studying of emotional disorders and behavior strategies features in patients with mine-explosive mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) against the background of long-term stay in extreme conditions to determine of specifics of pathological syndromes as well as to preventive of complications in these patients. We analyzed examination materials of 48 combatants with from one to five mine-explosive MTBI. Liquor-hypertensive, vestibulocochlear, vestibulo-ataxic syndromes, cranial nerve dysfunctions (predominantly auditory), oculomotor disorders, peripheral nerve lesions with predominant symptoms of cerebrasthenia, vegetative and general cerebral dysfunctions were in the structure of neurological disorders in these patients. Control group included 11 civilian men of the same age without traumatic brain injury The degree of stress experienced was evaluated with using Combat Exposure Scale and Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was applied to clarify the nature and degree of severity of emotional disorder in all combatants. The features of psychical and social adaptation were studied with using of the Rosenzweig picture-frustration test. Data obtained has been processed with certified software package Statistica ver. 10. Research results showed that total quantity of adaptive reactions as well as number of attempts to solve the problem independently were less in patients compared to healthy. It was determined that availability of defensive psychological reactions with denial of the problem and attempts to submit to the limitations of the environment, transformation of aggression to constructive requirements for others, attempts to solve the problem independently with acceptance of responsibility for its emergence contributed as to minimizing the manifestation of depression symptoms so better psychical and social adaptation of patients. The impairments of emotional response, as follows: relative dominance of defensive reactions of destructive aggression with accusations and claims against other people or reactions to overcoming anxiety by denying it with attempts to displace frustrating factors were typical for some patients. These behavior forms may be caused by dysfunction of higher regulative brain systems due to MTBI, by irritation of negative emotion brain system and significant emotional exhaustion due to the need to continue to remain in threatening situations with limited ability to control the course of events as well as by behavior strategies which were formed earlier.