Peculiarities of Stress Response of Higher Medical Education Students in Wartime Conditions

The features of the stress response of 167 medical students with various degrees of psychosocial maladjustment (PM) were studied. Increased indicators of expressiveness of posttraumatic symptoms were established in students without signs of PM and high indicatorsin students with separate signs of PM and with expressed PM. Similar patterns was detectedin the symptoms of invasion, avoidance symptoms and symptoms of guilt. Signs of clinicallydefined post-traumatic stress disorder were found in 6.0 % of those examined, separate symptoms of PTSD — in 22.1 %.Students with no signs of PM were characterized by low levels of reactive anxiety, withseparate signs of PM — moderate levels, with expressed PM — moderate, close to high level.A normal level of anxiety according to self-assessment of mental states scale (H. Eysenk)was found in students with no signs of PM, a moderate level — in students with separate signsof PM, in students with expressed PM the level is moderate, close to high ). Similar patternswere found for frustration and rigidity: students with no signs of PDA and with separate signsof PM has low levels of frustration and rigidity, and in students with expressed PM — a moderate level of frustration and rigidity. Students with no signs of PM and with separate signs of PMhad a moderate level of aggressiveness, and applicants with an expressed PM had a low level.Correlation analysis revealed the presence of significant (p < 0.01) inverse correlations of theadaptability indicator with PTSD expressiveness indicators (rS = –0.495), intrusion symptoms(rS = –0.551), avoidance symptoms (rS = –0.465), guilt symptoms (rS = –0.254), reactive anxiety(rS = –0.735), anxiety (rS = –0.724), frustration (rS = –0.618) and rigidity (rS = –0.384).