Keywords
combat stress
military personnel
psychological training
psychological readiness
self-regulation
command leadership
psychological recovery
How to Cite
Abstract
Background. The prolonged and intensive nature of modern warfare exposes military personnel to multiple combat stressors, including life-threatening situations, uncertainty, losses, sleep deprivation, sensory overload, and high decision-making demands. These conditions necessitate the development of evidence-based approaches aimed at maintaining psychological readiness, operational effectiveness, and long-term mental health among military personnel.
Objective. The study aimed to substantiate the conceptual foundations of psychological resilience to combat stress and to develop a multilevel organizational-psychological model for its purposeful formation among military personnel.
Methods. The research employed theoretical analysis and synthesis of contemporary Ukrainian and international scientific literature in military psychology, stress psychology, resilience research, and psychological training. Comparative analysis, systematization, structural-functional analysis, and conceptual modelling were used to integrate empirical findings and develop a comprehensive theoretical framework.
Results. Psychological resilience was conceptualized as a dynamic integrative capacity enabling military personnel to maintain or restore psychological readiness, self-regulation, situational awareness, behavioural control, and professional effectiveness under intensive combat stressors. The study differentiated psychological resilience from related constructs such as stress resistance, resilience, hardiness, and coping. A novel three-level model of resilience formation was proposed, encompassing individual, group-leadership, and organizational dimensions across the phases of preparation, mission performance, and recovery. Key organizational-psychological technologies included integration of psychological training into combat preparation, development of self-regulation skills, enhancement of unit cohesion and leadership competence, psychoeducational support, monitoring of functional states, decompression procedures, targeted screening, and referral systems for specialized psychological assistance.
Scientific novelty. The study introduces an integrative multilevel framework that combines individual resources, command leadership, group cohesion, and organizational support mechanisms into a unified model of psychological resilience formation adapted to the operational realities of the Defence Forces of Ukraine.
Practical implications. The proposed model may be applied in the development of military psychological training programmes, professional education of commanders and military psychologists, psychological readiness maintenance systems, and post-combat recovery interventions.
Conclusions. Psychological resilience in military personnel should be regarded not as the absence of stress reactions but as the ability to preserve functional effectiveness and adaptive recovery under combat conditions. Effective resilience development requires a systemic and continuous approach that combines individual preparation, leadership development, organizational support, and evidence-based psychological interventions tailored to the realities of modern warfare.
Keywords: psychological resilience; combat stress; military personnel; psychological training; psychological readiness; self-regulation; command leadership; psychological recovery.
Received: April 21, 2026
Accepted: June 20, 2026
Published: June 30, 2026
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Copyright (c) 2026 Viktor Aleshchenko, Oleh Kokun