Influence of psychological characteristics of military services on the features of adaptation to the conditions of the Far North

The aim of the study: to consider the main personality types, indicators of personal and situational anxiety in military personnel of fixed-term and contractual service, depending on the duration of their stay in the Arctic region, and also to assess the influence of the psychological characteristics of military personnel on the processes of adaptation to the conditions of the Far North.

Materials and methods. Psychological testing was carried out on 249 male servicemen aged 18-31 years (average age 21.5±4.8 years) who served in the Far North (158 people) and in the Western Military District (91 people). Testing was carried out at the beginning of the service, as well as 6 months after the start of service in various regions. To study personality typology, the Abbreviated Multifactorial Questionnaire for Personality Research (SMOL) and the Luscher test were used, and the Spielberger-Khanin test was used to assess personal and situational anxiety.

Results and discussion. The survey showed predominantly asthenoneurotic and epileptoid-excitable personality types among conscripts, which was combined with high rates of personal and situational anxiety. The six-month period of service in the Far North for conscripts was not accompanied by a significant decrease in situational anxiety, which may indicate a low potential for psychological adaptation to the harsh conditions of service in the polar latitudes. And, on the contrary, among contract servicemen, a 6-month service in the Arctic led to an almost complete return of the indicators of situational anxiety to the values of a temperate climate. Thus, the preferential direction for service in the Arctic for contract servicemen will speed up the adaptation process. To assess the dynamics of situational anxiety during service in the Arctic region, it is justified to conduct psychological testing with a frequency of 6 months, which will identify servicemen with low adaptive potential.