THE FEATURES OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS’ STRESS COPING STRATEGIES IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF FULL-SCALE INVASION IN THE COUNTRY

Abstract

The study, the results of which are presented in this article, was conducted online in February-March 2026, with the participation of 320 Ukrainian psychologists and psychotherapists. The aim of this empirical study was to examine the levels of trauma among mental health professionals and the specific aspects of coping with stress during the fourth year of the full-scale invasion. The average scores for the study group were recorded at a low (mild) level of anxiety (6.52), a mild level of depressive symptoms (8.69), and a level of post-traumatic stress symptoms (26.67) that is moderate numerically; however, in 32.19% of respondents, it exceeds the threshold of 33 units, which indicates the presence of PTSD symptoms of varying severity in nearly one in three survey participants. Against the backdrop of complaints regarding psychological and emotional well-being - namely, exhaustion (66.9%), sleep disturbances or insomnia (47.2%), and feelings of being down (45.3%) – a number of resources were identified that provide support during the fourth year of the great war. There is an important need to prioritize the communicative component – specifically, interacting with loved ones, as well as, participating in supervision and intervision groups and professional communities that provide advanced education. Along with the opportunity to travel, participation in supervision and intervision groups was also identified as a predictor of managing anxiety and PTSD symptoms. Physical activity and communication with loved ones were included among the predictors of optimizing depression. The latter predictor also mitigates the severity of PTSD symptoms within this sample. The study highlights the importance of the general health status of mental health professionals and explores ways to stabilize it by examining stress management strategies, individual therapeutic support, and involvement in professional communities as constructive ways to process traumatic experiences.