Background. The situation of a protracted military conflict along with a high level of uncertainty associated with it put a person in conditions of planning and decision-making with poorly predictable consequences, increase the level of anxiety about the future, and create difficulties in setting long-term goals. Teaching staff of higher educational institutions of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, being part of civilian population of the region, find themselves in a difficult life situation, close to extreme. The ongoing transformations affect various spheres of life and, in this regard, actualize scientific interest in studying the relationship between time perspective and leading decision-making strategies among the region’s population.

Objective. To study the relationship between time perspective and decision-making strategies among the population living in the zone of local military conflict.

Study Participants. Teaching staff of higher educational institutions of the DPR and LPR (N = 1214, 898 women and 316 men).

Methods. Melbourne Decision Making Inventory adapted by T.V. Kornilova, Action Control Scale by D. Kuhl adapted by S.A. Shapkin, Time Perspective Questionnaire by F. Zimbardo. For statistical processing of the data, the study implemented r-Spearman rank correlation method, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov criterion, the T-criterion, the analysis of variance, and the linear regression analysis.

Results. As a result of constructing the regression model, it was revealed that the ability to make independent decisions is influenced by the following factors: Procrastination, Fatalistic Present, Negative Past, Hypervigilance. The tendency to procrastination is influenced by the following factors: Future, Avoidance, Hypervigilance, Realization, Negative Past, Hedonistic Present. The tendency to hypervigilance is influenced by the following factors: Fatalistic Present, Negative Past, Future, Procrastination, Avoidance, Vigilance. The ability to the only productive coping in a decision-making situation — vigilance — is influenced by the following factors: Future, Hypervigilance, Realization.

Regression analysis demonstrated that the ability for independent decision-making is influenced by such factors as “procrastination”, “fatalistic present”, “negative past”, “hypervigilance”; the tendency to procrastination is influenced by the factors “future”, “avoidance”, “hypervigilance”, “realization”, “negative past”, “hedonistic present”; the tendency to hypervigilance is influenced by the factors “fatalistic present”, “negative past”, “future”, “procrastination”, “avoidance”, “vigilance”. The ability for productive coping in a decision-making situation — vigilance is influenced by the factors “future”, “hypervigilance”, “realization”.

Conclusions. The parameters of a person’s time perspective are significantly interconnected with decision-making strategies. In a situation of living in a protracted military conflict zone, negative past experience, hedonistic and fatalistic present determine a person’s choice of non-constructive decision-making strategies: procrastination, avoidance, and hypervigilance. Common “hinders” to making constructive decisions are a negative past that the individual cannot accept and transform into life experience, as well as belief in fate and the inability to control the events of one’s life. The constructive strategy — vigilance is positively associated with a focus on the future and a positive past.