Resilience as a Factor of the Efficiency of Professional Activities of a Psychologist of the National Police of Ukraine in Conditions of Martial Law
Abstract
Abstract. The transformation of Ukrainian society, constant military threats and the expansion of the functional responsibilities of psychologists of the National Police of Ukraine actualize the search for resources to maintain their professional effectiveness. Today, a police psychologist is at the epicenter of double stress: as a person affected by war, and as a professional responsible for the mental health of personnel and civilians. Under such conditions, the resilience of a police psychologist is not just an ability, but a strategic resource for the survival and reliability of the Ministry of Internal Affairs system. Based on the analysis of modern approaches, resilience is defined as an integrative ability that encompasses regulatory, cognitive, emotional and socio-behavioral components. It has been established that this phenomenon is a dynamic process that includes not only the endurance of the individual, but also the ability to post-traumatic growth. It is theoretically substantiated that the resilience of a psychologist functions as a protective barrier against burnout and vicarious traumatization. An empirical research was conducted in the spring of 2026 among 30 psychologists of the National Police of Ukraine in the city of Kyiv and the region. A comprehensive approach was used, including an online survey, a questionnaire to identify coping resources, and a standardized methodology “Psychological Resilience (Mental Resilience Test)”. Statistical data processing was carried out using correlation analysis and Fisher’s criterion. The research revealed an alarming trend: respondents with a high level of resilience were completely absent from the sample of respondents. Low and medium levels dominate, indicating a regime of marginal adaptation and resource depletion. No gender and age characteristics were found in the level of resilience in conditions of chronic military stress. An analysis of coping strategies showed the predominance of physical methods of regulation (sports, sleep) and individual therapy. At the same time, a critical deficit of organizational support from management was identified, which increases the load on the internal resources of the individual. Thus, the resilience of police psychologists in wartime is under systemic pressure, which requires psychological intervention. It has been proven that individual efforts of specialists are not enough to maintain the effectiveness of professional activity for a long time.
Keywords: resilience; professional resilience; police psychologists; professional activity; martial law; coping resources; professional burnout.
Downloads
References
Angehrn, A., Jourdan-Ionescu, C., & Gamache, D. (2023). Resilience among police officers: The role of personality functioning and protective factors. Policing: An International Journal, 46, 567-–582. DOI: 10.1108/PIJPSM-02-2023-0025
Barko, V.I., Ostapovych, V.P., & Barko, V.V. (2018). Criteria for evaluating psychological readiness of a police manager for managerial activity. In Psychological and pedagogical problems of professional education and patriotic education of personnel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine: Proceedings of the II All-Ukrainian scientific-theoretical conference (pp. 128-131). Kharkiv.
Bolshakova, A.M., Dubin, D.O., & Zaitseva, O.O. (2025). The influence of professional burnout on procedural resilience of police officers. Mental Health, 4, 29-37. DOI: 10.32782/3041-2005/2025-4.5
Chepelieva, N.I., & Pidchasov, Ye.V. (2020). Psychological factors ensuring the effectiveness of police work. Way of success and prospects of development: Proceedings of the international scientific-practical conference (pp. 522-524). Kharkiv: Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs.
Chykhantsova, O.A. (2025). The role of resilience as a personal resource in situations of uncertainty. Scientific Notes of Taurida National V.I. Vernadsky University. Series "Psychology", 3(36), 55-61. DOI: 10.32782/2709-3093/2025.3/09
Dmytryshyn, S.B. (2024). Personality resilience: The essence of the phenomenon and methods of development. Bulletin of Lviv University. Series "Psychological Sciences", 20, 67-74. DOI: 10.30970/PS.2024.20.10
Halchenko, V., & Sniatkova, T. (2025). Formation of frustration tolerance as a psychological determinant of preventing professional burnout of security sector employees of Ukraine. Legal Psychology, 2(37), 16-23. DOI: 10.33270/03253702.2
Helbak, A.M., & Mukhina, H.V. (2025). Individual and family factors contributing to the development of resilience of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Ukrainian Police Studies: Theory, Legislation, Practice, 1, 85-88. DOI: 10.32782/2709-9261-2025-1-13-14
Janssens, K.M.E. (2021). Resilience among police officers: A critical systematic review of used concepts, measures, and predictive values of resilience. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 36(1), 24-40. DOI: 10.1007/s11896-018-9298-5
Moreno, A.F. (2024). Resilience training programs with police forces: A systematic review. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 39(1), 227-252. DOI: 10.1007/s11896-023-09633-y
Paskevska, Yu.A. (2022). Resilience as a psychological resource of personnel of penitentiary institutions. Psychological Journal, 8, 110–119. DOI: 10.31108/1.2022.8.1.8
Ponomarenko, T.I., Khanetska, T.I., & Fedorenko, A.F. (2026). Resilience as a factor of psychological well-being of student youth in stressful conditions. Slobozhansky Scientific Bulletin. Series "Psychology", 1, 126-133. DOI: 10.32782/psyspu/2026.1.19
Schlosser, M.D., Papazoglou, K., & Kamka, K. (2024). Editorial: Community series: Police trauma, loss, and resilience. Frontiers in Psychology, 2(15). DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1348111
Shevchenko, A., Pyroh, A., Fedorenko, A., Khanetska, T., & Petrunenko, I. (2026). Psychological Well-Being of Ukrainians under Martial Law: Social Implications and Educational Perspectives on Coping Strategies. European Journal of Social Science Education and Research, 1(13), 378-396. DOI: 10.26417/sk3mbc04
Van der Meulen, E., Van Veldhoven, M.J.P.M., & Van der Velden, P.G. (2019). Stability of psychological resilience of police officers: A three-wave latent class analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 144, 120-124. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2019.03.006
Violanti, J.M. (2008). Stress shield: A model of police resiliency. Emergency Mental Health, 10(2), 95-108. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18788345/
Abstract views: 13 PDF Downloads: 9
- Authors reserve the right to authorship of their own work and transfer to the magazine the right of the first publication of this work under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which allows other persons to freely distribute published work with mandatory reference to authors of the original work and the first publication of an article in this magazine.
Authors have the right to enter into separate additional agreements on non-exclusive dissemination of the work in the form in which it was published in the journal (for example, to post an article in the institution's repository or to publish as part of a monograph), provided that the link to the first publication of the work in this journal is maintained.
The journal's policy allows and encourages the posting of articles by authors on the Internet (for example, in electronic storehouses of institutions or on personal websites), both before the submission of this manuscript to the editorial office and during its editorial processing, as this contributes to the creation of a productive scientific discussion and positively affects the efficiency and dynamics of citing the published work.
