Psychological resources for maintaining the mental health of personnel in high-risk professions under conditions of occupational stress

The systematic exposure of personnel in high-risk professions to occupational stressors requires prolonged mobilisation of psychological resources and increases the risk of their depletion. The aim of the study is to identify and systematise, based on theoretical analysis and a synthesis of contemporary research, the psychological resources that contribute to maintaining the mental health of personnel in high-risk professions under conditions of occupational stress. The study was theoretical and analytical in nature and is based on an analysis of scientific publications; methods of theoretical analysis, comparison, contrast, systematisation, generalisation, structural-functional analysis and conceptualisation were applied. Theoretical analysis was used to establish the meaning of key concepts; comparison and contrast – to identify similarities and differences in the results of Ukrainian and international studies; systematisation – to categorise resources by level; structural-functional analysis – to distinguish between the resource, the mechanism of its use, the state of psychological readiness and the outcome; conceptualisation – to formulate an integrated definition of the psychological resources for maintaining the mental health of personnel in high-risk professions. Psychological resources are systematised across three interrelated levels: the individual-psychological level (stress tolerance, resilience, professional resilience, self-efficacy, psychological capital, tolerance of uncertainty, autonomous motivation, emotional self-regulation, meaningful resources); the social psychological (social support, mutual support amongst colleagues, team cohesion and support from the immediate supervisor); and organisational-professional (professional preparedness, autonomy, professional feedback, supportive leadership, organisational support, access to psychological assistance, and conditions for psychological and psychophysiological recovery). A distinction is made between resources, the mechanisms for their mobilisation and utilisation (adaptive and proactive coping), psychological readiness as a state of current mobilisation, as well as mental health and psychological well-being as outcome characteristics of the resource system’s functioning. The dynamic nature of the mobilisation, utilisation, conservation, depletion and restoration of resources is substantiated. The proposed systematisation can be used to determine the directions of psychological support for personnel in high-risk professions under conditions of prolonged occupational stress