Peculiarities of security-sector specialists’ psychological adaptation to stressful conditions of professional activities

OBJECTIVE: Aim: To investigate indicators of psychological adaptation among security-sector specialists to the stressful conditions of professional activities during wartime. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and Methods: The research, which lasted from 2023 to 2025, involved 120 male security-sector specialists: experimental group (EG, n=60) - specialists who performed their service duties in combat conditions; control group (CG, n=60) - specialists whose activities took place in conditions of relative safety. Research methods: theoretical analysis and generalization of literature, psychological methods, and statistical methods. RESULTS: Results: A significantly higher level of both reactive (by 7.06 points; p<0.01) and personal (by 4.29 points; p<0.05) anxiety has been found in the CG specialists compared to the EG. It has been found that specialists in the EG, compared to the CG, demonstrated significantly worse indicators of satisfaction: with themselves, their mental state - by 7.32 points; the situation and its dynamics - by 6.19 points; the sphere of interpersonal relationships - by 2.37 points; their functional state - by 2.47 points; their life-sustaining activities in general - by 7.23 points. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: It has been proven that unfavorable factors of combat conditions and excessive physical and mental stress in wartime lead to a gradual loss of satisfaction with life-sustaining activities, an increased risk of developing stress disorders accompanied by symptoms of avoidance, distress, exhaustion, and reexperiencing trauma. The intensity and excessiveness of psycho-traumatic influences, the inability to form psychological defense mechanisms, and the severity of psychosomatic components of the stress response significantly alter the adaptive capabilities of security-sector specialists.