Rostovskaya T.K., Fomina O.E. Art therapy in the system of comprehensive rehabilitation of participants in the special military operation: theoretical and methodological foundations and practice of social integration. Social'nye aspekty zdorov'a naselenia [serial online] 2026; 72(2):11. Available from: http: ...

Тексь статьи на сайте журнала URL: http://vestnik.mednet.ru/content/view/1922/30/lang,ru/ (дата обращения 24.06.2026)

Abstract

Significance. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to develop effective non-drug approaches to comprehensive psychosocial rehabilitation of participants in the special military operation and their families, who face the consequences of combat trauma, disruption of social roles, and intra-family communication. The subject of the study is art therapy as a tool for comprehensive rehabilitation and social integration. Purpose. To analyze the theoretical and methodological foundations and summarize the practical experience of using art therapy for this target group. Material and methods. The materials and methods of the study included theoretical analysis and empirical techniques. The theoretical framework was grounded in George L. Engel’s model, which conceptualizes behavior, emotional responses, and personality traits as outcomes of the interplay among interrelated biological, psychological, and social factors. The study also draws significantly on the social constructionist theories of Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann, as well as on Raewyn Connell’s theory of masculinity (understood as dominant patterns of male behavior). The empirical basis comprised data from a prospective study conducted between 2021 and 2026 within a series of practice-oriented projects implemented in the Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod regions. The total sample included 405 individuals: persons with disabilities, their family members, and 20 families of participants in the special military operation. A set of complementary methods was employed: document analysis, an art therapy intervention package (wool painting, neurographic art, sandplay therapy, projective drawing, collage creation), psychodiagnostic assessment (projective drawing tests and an original questionnaire), a sociological survey, and participant observation. Results. The main results of the work demonstrate the high rehabilitation effectiveness of art therapy. In the «Art of Equal Opportunities» program, the share of participants with optimistic outlooks for the future increased by 40%, and the level of situational anxiety decreased by 37%. The method contributed to the harmonization of intra-family relationships, which was confirmed in the «Family Album» project by an increase in the degree of closeness and a decrease in conflict in family drawing tests. Simultaneously, a pilot sociological study revealed persistent barriers to social integration, such as latent stigmatization and a wary attitude, especially towards persons with mental disorders. Conclusion. The conclusions of the study allow us to assert that art therapy is an effective technology operating at the individual-personal, family, and social levels. Its potential lies in the ability to bypass verbal defenses and barriers related to the norms of hegemonic masculinity, ensuring the safe symbolic processing of traumatic experience, restoration of communication, and the formation of a new subjective identity. The scope of application of the results covers the sphere of social policy, healthcare, and social protection. The obtained data substantiate the expediency of integrating art therapy practices into the state system of comprehensive rehabilitation for participants of the special military operation.