Consistency of Indicators According to the Military Version of the Mississippi PTSD Scale and the PC-PTSD-5 Screening Method for Special Military Operation Combatants

Introduction. The number of armed conflicts worldwide is not decreasing. An increasing number of combatants and civilians, directly or indirectly involved in hostilities, face the problem of rapid diagnosis of combat stress and combat stress disorders.

The intention. To establish correlational dependencies between the subscales of the military version of the Mississippi Scale and the PC-PTSD-5 screening method.

Methodology. In May-June 2024, 163 combatants were examined using the military version of the Mississippi Scale, the PC-PTSD-5 method, and an unstructured interview, after obtaining their informed consent. Response style was assessed using 10 adapted sincerity questions from the “Standardized Personality Research Method” questionnaire. Due to the non-parametric distribution of some subscales of the questionnaires, the text presents mean values, medians with upper and lower quartiles (Me [Q1 ; Q3 ]). The similarity (difference) of indicators was assessed using the KruskalWallis rank sum test; correlational dependencies were assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation.

Results and analysis. The mean sincerity scale scores were 7 [6; 8] points, indicating sufficiently high reliability of the examination results. Frequency analysis of qualitative indicators showed that 8.6% of combatants exhibited mental adaptation disorders according to the Mississippi Scale, and 3.7% exhibited PTSD. The correlation between the total score of the original military version of the Mississippi Scale and the PC-PTSD-5 method was moderate, positive, and statistically significant (r = 0.588; p < 0.001). Positive statistically significant correlational dependencies of low and moderate strength were found for all analyzed subscales (intrusion, avoidance, physiological hyperarousal, guilt, and suicidality).

Conclusion. With limited time and a large influx of combatants, the results of the PC-PTSD-5 method can be considered reliable. These results, along with others, can be used to determine the need for psychological correction and psychotherapy for combatants. 

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