Psychological preservation of volunteers during the war: An empirical analysis

Abstract

The article presents the results of an empirical study of the psychological self-preservation of volunteers with varying lengths of volunteer experience. The main structural components of psychological self preservation, the level of subjective stress, and the psychological safety of the individual are identified. The presence of meaning in life and personal characteristics such as extraversion, friendliness, conscientiousness, and openness to new experiences were examined. The use of basic coping strategies in stressful situations was analysed. In order to study the psychological self-preservation of the personality of volunteers through structural components, including cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and social, the following psychodiagnostic methods were used: Ukrainian adaptation of the short five-factor personality questionnaire (TIPI-UKR); “Express diagnostics of the psychological safety of the individual”; Questionnaire of the Perceived Stress Scale PSS-10; The Meaning of Life Questionnaire MLQ 2006, and the method of psychological diagnostics of coping mechanisms (E. Heim). Psychological self-preservation implies the ability of a person to effectively adapt to negative events and the ability to think positively and rationally assess the situation. This implies the ability to manage emotions, create a positive social environment, and have the resources to restore mental and physical health after difficult life events. It was found that in the subjects, with an increase in the duration of volunteer work, the level of subjective stress increases and the level of feeling of psychological safety decreases, which also indicates that volunteer work is a complex multifaceted process and requires resources and energy. However, with regard to the presence of meaning in life, it can be seen that with increasing experience of volunteering, there is a higher level of presence and search for meaning in life. It can be assumed that volunteer work and helping others gives a sense of self realisation, significance, and personal importance. The search for meaning in life is relevant for all the subjects studied and reflects the current situation of self-realisation both professional and personal life and serves as a structural element of the psychological self-preservation framework, giving meaning and awareness to a person's activities. Further study of the structural components of psychological self-preservation requires the development and implementation of psychological training on the development of resistance to stressful situations, taking into account the presented results of empirical research