THE ROLE OF RESILIENCE COMPONENTS IN THE FORMATION OF CONSTRUCTIVE COPING AND MINIMIZATION OF MALADAPTIVE MANIFESTATIONS IN COMBAT VETERANS

Abstract

The article highlights the pressing issue of the socio-psychological adaptation of combat veterans during their reintegration into the civilian environment, as inefficient adaptation is a direct harbinger of increased risks of social isolation and mental disorders. Therefore, the theoretical analysis determined that hardiness is a key internal resource ensuring an individual’s ability to resist traumatic experience, while coping serves as the mechanism for realizing this resource. However, the empirical link between hardiness, coping, and adaptation specifically within the sample of Ukrainian veterans remains insufficiently substantiated. This research gap led to the aim of the study: the empirical substantiation of the role of hardiness components as a key psychological resource in the formation of constructive coping strategies that ensure the minimization of maladaptive manifestations. The empirical study analyzed the hardiness level, dominant coping strategies, and indicators of socio-psychological adaptation of 35 veterans, using the Mann-Whitney U-test for the comparative analysis of groups. The results obtained confirmed the key hypothesis. In particular, it was established that veterans with a high level of hardiness significantly more often use constructive, problem-focused coping, which leads to successful reintegration. Conversely, a hardiness deficit clearly correlates with the dominance of maladaptive strategies (avoidance), increasing the risk of social isolation. Thus, it is empirically proven that hardiness mediates coping selection and is a critical predictor of adaptation success. The practical significance of the study lies in providing a scientific basis for the early identification of risk groups and the development of targeted psychological rehabilitation programs focused on developing hardiness components.