THE FEATURES OF PROVIDING PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID TO THE VICTIMS IN THE CONTEXT OF MASSIVE MORTALITY AS A RESULT OF A MISSILE STRIKE ON A HIGH-RISE BUILDING IN UMAN

Introduction. War is the emergency that goes beyond the normal human experience. The research results from the Jerusalem Medical School show that during the war, the human psyche reactions to the war events may be: from moderate and temporary stress to severe mental trauma that has negative health consequences, including depression, psychotropic substances abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The American scientists, in turn, prove that the traumatic events of war can have a long-term impact on people health and well-being. In this regard, the specialists have repeatedly emphasized the importance of the existence of an institute of psychological first aid to the affected population, which in our country, according to the law, is provided by the psychologists of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES). According to the specialists of the SES of Ukraine, during the full-scale war, the psychologists were involved in the liquidation of the consequences of hostilities more than 700 times, provided the psychological assistance to more than 242 thousand victims, including 43 thousand children and more than 9 thousand people with reduced mobility. The purpose of the research is to summarize and analyze the activity of the psychologists of the SES of Ukraine in organizing and providing the psychological first aid to victims in the consequences of war with massive mortality of civilians. Methods. Analysis of the scientific literature on the research problem, participant observation, interviews, data systematization. Originality. Based on the analysis of practical experience, the peculiarities of organizing and providing the psychological first aid to victims of a missile attack on a high-rise building in Uman with massive mortality are described in the article. The forces and means involved in the liquidation of consequences of the missile strike are characterized, and the stages of providing the psychological first aid to victims by the psychologists of the SES of Ukraine are found out. Based on the analysis of the psychological characteristics of the victims, their main mental reactions and states are identified. The research also considers the most appropriate methods of the visual diagnosis of victims, techniques of providing the psychological aid. The analysis of the factors that complicated the work of the psychologists in providing the psychological assistance in the context of massive mortality is especially important. Conclusions. The main features of the psychological first aid are identified based on the summary and analysis of the practical experience of the psychologists of the SES of Ukraine in providing the psychological firs aid to victims in the context of massive mortality as a result of a missile attack on a high-rise building in Uman: 1. this emergency is psychologically difficult for almost everyone involved in it: victims, rescuers, police officers, psychologists, as it is characterized by the complexity of high-intensity stressors, the main one is massive mortality, first of all children –  that’s the main specific feature; 2. the duration of the search and rescue operation was 35 hours, 32 hours were spent to provide the psychological first aid; 3. the emergency involved a wide range of victims (survivors and relatives of the victims); during the rescue operation more than 300 victims were assisted; 4. the combination of these factors indicates a high risk of traumatic consequences for people, involved in the emergency response situations, and therefore requires supervision of their participants in the post-traumatic period and provide the psychological recovery of rescuers and policemen.