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Natalia Onishchenko - Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Professor, Professor of the Department of General Psychology, Faculty of Psychology. V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv (Ukraine)
ORCID 0000-0001-6733-2745
DOI - https://doi.org/10.52363/dcpp-2025.2.13
Keywords: resilience, internally displaced persons, war, psychological adaptation, anxiety, subjective well-being, stress resistance, psycho-emotional state, stress, psychotrauma, crisis situation, extreme situation, mental health, psychological assistance, psychological recovery, psychological resources.
The article presents the results of a theoretical and empirical study of the psychological features of resilience of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in war conditions. The relevance of the topic is due to the need for a deeper understanding of the internal resources of the individual, which ensure effective adaptation, mental stability and overcoming stressful situations during periods of social and life upheavals. The aim of the study is to determine the level and specificity of resilience manifestations in IDPs, as well as to identify psychological factors that contribute to or, conversely, complicate its development.
The paper reveals the essence of the concept of "resilience" as an integrative personal property that reflects a person’s ability to maintain internal integrity and productive activity in difficult life circumstances. Based on the generalization of modern psychological approaches, resilience is considered in the structure of three key components - involvement, control and risk-taking.
The empirical part of the study used psychodiagnostic methods: S. Maddy’s resilience test, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Subjective Well-Being Scale. The sample consisted of internally displaced persons aged 34 to 57 years living in different regions of Ukraine. The results showed that a high level of resilience correlates with lower levels of anxiety and depression, as well as with a higher level of subjective well-being. A low level of resilience is accompanied by emotional exhaustion, a sense of helplessness and difficulties in social adaptation. It was assumed that the key predictors of resilience are positive thinking, internal locus of control and the ability to reflect on one’s own experiences.
The practical significance of the results lies in the possibility of their use in psychological support of internally displaced persons, development of resilience development programs, prevention of post-traumatic stress disorders and restoration of the psychological resource of the individual in war conditions.