Психологическая технология повышения стрессоустойчивости у представителей экстремальных профессий

Abstract

Employees of an extreme profile are influenced by various negative professional factors. Such factors deform the individual’s stress coping mechanisms, which causes psychological phenomena which are peculiar to specific extreme influences. Psychological technologies make it possible to increase stress resistance among representatives of extreme professions through developing the necessary skills, stabilizing the emotional state, and preventing the formation of undesirable stress-related consequences. This study is focused on developing psychological technologies aimed at increasing stress resistance having regard to the specifics of extreme work. The test subjects included the representatives of the highest-ranking military officers of the Armed Forces of Russia. The study included the ascertaining, forming and control stages of experiment. The ascertaining stage involved a psychological examination of participants who were either related or not related to the extreme profile. The following methods were used: PSM-25 Psychological Stress Measure by L. Lemur, R. Tessier and L. Fillion; Strategic Approach to Coping Scale (SACS) by S. E. Hobfoll; Questionnaire “Prognosis-2” by V. Yu. Rybnikov; Self-Assessment Scale by C. D. Spielberger, as adapted by Yu. L. Khanin; Diagnostics of Socio-Psychological Adaptation by K. R. Rogers and R. E. Diamond; The Culture Fair Intelligence Test (CFIT) by R. Cattell; and the questionnaires “Symptoms of Stress” and “Ways to Relieve Stress” by S. M. Shingaev. During the formative stage, a program of psychological assistance to specialists of extreme professions was created and implemented, including training elements and psychological counselling. The control stage involved a repeated psychological examination of all participants. The study involved 570 people. It was revealed and proven that intelligence, emotional stability, social adaptability and effective ways of coping with stress are potential resources that allow increasing stress resistance of extreme specialists. The psychological program based on these results has shown its effectiveness in terms of all parameters except intellectual characteristics.