Psychological Aspects of Religious Faith Among Participants of Combat Operations in Crisis Situations

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of the psychological dimensions of religious faith on the sense of coherence among military personnel, serving as an indicator of heightened stress tolerance. The study employed empirical methods, including questionnaires as well as both qualitative and quantitative analyses. The Duke Religiosity Index was utilized to assess the level of religiosity among military personnel, encompassing three dimensions: organizational religious activity, non-organizational religious activity, and intrinsic religiosity. To evaluate the level of coherence in military personnel under stress and combat conditions, the Antonovsky SOC-13 scale was employed, utilizing a 7-point rating system. The sense of coherence was examined through three components: comprehensibility, manageability, and awareness. The findings of the survey revealed that the sense of coherence among religious servicemen was 23.3 points higher than that of their non-religious counterparts, indicating a superior level of stress resilience. The perception of comprehensibility regarding the surrounding situation was 1.05 points higher among believing military personnel compared to non-believers. The study revealed the impact of the stressful situations experience encountered by combatants on their attitudes toward faith. Religious servicemen confirmed that their faith was strengthened by the adverse military environment (87%). However, 96% of non-believers reported that the military context had no impact on changes in their religious status. The analysis showed that the positive influence of religious faith was not manifested in non-believing servicemen. The insights obtained from this study may prove invaluable to military psychologists, chaplains, and researchers.