A Study Of Ukrainian First-Year Students’ Resilience At The Stage Of Adaptation To Training And Professional Activities Under Martial Law

The article highlights the results of screening diagnostics of the level of resilience of first-year students in adaptating to the educational environment of the university under martial law in Ukraine. This category of students represents the mental health risk group, due to simultaneous experience of the first crisis of professional development and the traumatic crisis of war. A survey (based on the criteria of the Four Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire), which preceded this study, determined that among the mental health disorders of freshmen, the leading place is occupied by symptoms of distress and somatization, combined with anxiety. This gave grounds for organizing a more in-depth study of the problem of preservation and strengthening the mental health of first-year students. Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) was used for screening diagnostics of the level of resilience. Using the method of obtaining normalized scores, the following levels of resilience in first-year students were determined: low (CD-RISC-10 ≤ 20), below average (20 > CD-RISC-10 ≤ 26), average (26 > CD-RISC-10 ≤ 30), above average (30 > CD-RISC-10 ≤ 34), high (CD-RISC-10> 34). Results: over one third of the freshmen (38%) had low rates of resilience. We consider it important in the future to investigate the correlation between the level of resilience of first-year students and their prevailing coping strategies, tolerance to ambiguity and fundamental personal characteristics that may affect the ability to cope with difficult circumstances (extroversion, friendliness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to new experiences). This will allow to develop psychotherapeutic toolkit for the development of resiliency - mastering the skills of maintaining mental health in hardship and post-traumatic growth by own internal resources.