PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF COPING STRATEGIES AMONG PROFESSIONAL PRE-HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS IN THE PEDAGOGICAL FIELD UNDER MARTIAL LAW

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to provide a theoretical rationale and an empirical investigation of the psychological features of coping strategies among professional pre-higher education students in the pedagogical field under martial law, to examine their relationship with socio-psychological adaptation, and to identify directions for psychological support within the educational environment of a pedagogical college. The research methodology is based on the transactional theory of stress and coping, the concept of proactive coping, and contemporary approaches to psychological adaptation under prolonged stress. The study combines theoretical analysis and generalisation of scientific approaches with psychodiagnostic tools designed to assess coping behaviour, proactive coping, and socio-psychological adaptation. The empirical sample consisted of 140 first- to third-year students of a pedagogical college. The scientific novelty lies in specifying the psychological characteristics of coping behaviour among professional prehigher education students in the pedagogical field under conditions of prolonged war-related stress and in substantiating its continuum-based nature with regard to the stability and flexibility of coping strategies. Predominantly adaptive coping was identified in 32% of respondents, moderately adaptive coping in 48%, and signs of maladaptive responding in 20%. The largest group consisted of students with moderately adaptive coping, who demonstrated constructive ways of dealing with difficulties but, under increased psycho-emotional strain, more frequently resorted to distancing, intensified selfcontrol, or avoidance. Students with predominantly adaptive coping were more likely to use problem-solving planning and positive reappraisal, whereas avoidance and confrontational coping were more characteristic of the group showing signs of maladaptive responding. Conclusions. Students’ coping behaviour should be viewed not as a rigid dichotomy between adaptive and maladaptive strategies but as a dynamic continuum in which the stability, flexibility, and combination of different ways of responding to stress may vary. Psychological support in a pedagogical college should therefore focus on broadening students’ coping repertoires, strengthening emotional self-regulation skills, and consolidating constructive ways of dealing with difficult situations while differentiating forms of support according to students’ psychological needs