Study of the Mental Health Characteristics of Personnel Working in Medium-Security Correctional Institutions of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine According to Their Diagnosed Levels of Resilience

This article presents an empirical study of the mental health characteristics of staff at medium-security prisons, with a particular focus on their organisational structure across different levels of resilience. The mental health of staff in prison institutions, in conditions of prolonged occupational stress, is shaped by the interplay between psychological vulnerability and resources associated with adaptive occupational functioning. The aim of the study was to empirically investigate the mental health characteristics of staff at medium-security prisons according to their diagnosed level of resilience and to identify patterns in the structural organisation of these psychological characteristics. A quantitative crosssectional design was employed. The total sample comprised 8,443 staff members of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine; this study analysed a subsample of staff at medium-security correctional institutions (N = 4,171). The psychodiagnostic battery comprised the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), R. McLean’s Organisational Stress Scale, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form (MHC-SF) and the Positive Mental Health Scale. Statistical analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 24.0. Factor analysis was applied to identify the latent structure of psychological characteristics of mental health separately in groups with low, medium and high levels of resilience. The main results revealed systematic differences in the structural organisation of psychological characteristics of mental health depending on the level of resilience. In the group with low resilience, the factor structure was characterised by professional engagement combined with psychological defences, emotional tension, frustration, an external locus of control over health, and predominantly reactive coping strategies. At a moderate level of resilience, emotional lability and psychological defences remained significant, whilst the presence of adaptability, positive mental health, openness, self-reflection and autonomy increased. At a high level of resilience, internalisation in the sphere of achievement, genuine engagement in professional activities, an internal locus of control over health, social interaction and a breadth of interests took on greater structural significance, whilst components associated with psychological vulnerability were retained in the factor structure. The scientific novelty lies in the empirical identification of specific factor configurations of psychological characteristics of mental health associated with low, medium and high levels of resilience. It has been established that resilience is linked not only to differences in individual psychological characteristics, but also to systematic differences in their structural organisation and interrelationships. A higher level of resilience is associated with a more internally regulated and resource-diverse configuration of psychological characteristics, rather than with the absence of manifestations of psychological vulnerability. The practical significance of the findings lies in establishing an empirical basis for a differentiated psychological assessment and for identifying priority areas for psychological support in accordance with staff members’ levels of resilience. The findings can be utilised in the development of programmes to maintain mental health, foster resilience, and prevent occupational maladjustment and burnout amongst staff of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine. Resilience is linked not only to individual characteristics of mental health, but also to systematic differences in their structural organisation, reflecting various configurations of psychological resources and vulnerability components that are significant for adaptation and professional functioning under conditions of prolonged occupational stress.