Analysis of War-Induced Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Elite Athletes Using the Decision Trees Model

Introduction. Use decision trees models to study war-related post-traumatic stress disorder in elite athletes. Materials and Methods. Elite athletes, 12 fencers (age 18-23) and 16 wrestlers (age 19-25) were examined. The study was conducted before military condition and after six months beginning war. To analyze the results of the study, a decision tree approach was used. This approach allows us to schematically identify the components that make up the psychophysiological state of athletes in different conditions, as well as predict the likely effectiveness of decision-making. Results. Wartime conditions were associated with changes in the psychophysiological state of elite athletes. In fencers, deviation from the autogenic norm increased, eccentricity decreased, and concentricity increased. In wrestlers, fatigue and deviation from the autogenic norm increased, whereas heteronomy decreased. Changes in arousal, arousal trend, dynamism, visual analyzer capacity, decision-making time, and impulsivity were also identified. Trait anxiety increased in both fencers and wrestlers. Factor analysis showed that the psychophysiological state of wrestlers changed from a structure based on mental state, decision-making, mental energy, and balance of nervous processes to one involving mental readiness, mental state, decision-making, and decision-making autonomy. In fencers, the wartime factor structure included mental state, mental readiness, decision-making, and impulsivity. Decision tree models visualized these sport-specific changes in the psychophysiological organization of athletes during the initial period of war. Conclusions. The decision tree approach showed that wartime conditions changed the factor structure of elite athletes’ psychophysiological state. In wrestlers, the main factors were mental readiness, mental state, decision-making, and decision-making autonomy. In fencers, the key factors were mental readiness, mental state, decision-making, and impulsivity. These findings indicate the need to optimize athletes’ psychophysiological state during wartime.