Keywords
psychological resilience
Ministry of Internal Affairs employees
martial law
occupational stress
psychological adaptation
psychological well-being
How to Cite
Abstract
Background. Martial law creates a specific professional environment for employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, characterized by prolonged exposure to stressors, increased responsibility, uncertainty, risks to life and health, intense emotional demands, and the need to maintain professional effectiveness under extreme conditions. Under such circumstances, resilience becomes one of the key psychological resources facilitating adaptation to stress, maintenance of functional capacity, and recovery following exposure to adverse events. At the same time, the structure of resilience among employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs under prolonged martial law, as well as the psychological factors associated with its maintenance, requires further clarification.
Objective. To investigate the characteristics of resilience among employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine under martial law, identify its relationships with psychological characteristics of professional adaptation, and determine the psychological resources that may contribute to maintaining resilience and professional functioning under prolonged stress exposure.
Methods. The study employed a comprehensive quantitative design using psychodiagnostic instruments to assess resilience, perceived stress, psychological well-being, and personal adaptive resources. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, internal consistency analysis of the psychometric scales, correlation analysis, between-group comparisons, and multiple regression analysis to identify variables statistically associated with employees’ levels of resilience.
Results. The findings revealed heterogeneity in resilience levels among employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs under martial law and demonstrated their associations with the intensity of perceived stress, subjective psychological well-being, and available personal resources. Higher levels of resilience were associated with better psychological adaptation and a greater capacity to maintain functional effectiveness under prolonged occupational demands, whereas higher levels of perceived stress were associated with reduced psychological resilience. The findings support a conceptualization of resilience not merely as a relatively stable individual characteristic but as a dynamic adaptive resource associated with a combination of personal and occupational-contextual factors.
Conclusions. Resilience constitutes an important psychological resource for maintaining adaptive and professional functioning among employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine under martial law. The findings support a shift from predominantly reactive models of psychological assistance toward a systematic approach to resilience development, including early identification of psychological risks, strengthening of individual resources, development of adaptive stress-coping strategies, and organizational psychological support. The practical significance of the findings lies in their potential application to the development of psychological training, support, and recovery programs for employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs performing professional duties under conditions of prolonged war-related stress.
Keywords: resilience; psychological resilience; Ministry of Internal Affairs employees; martial law; occupational stress; psychological adaptation; psychological well-being.
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Примітка: стаття була first published online 9 липня 2023 року, тому вона доступна автору задовго до травня 2024.
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