War, crisis and adaptation: Resilience self-assessment in Ukrainian medical and psychological education.

OBJECTIVE

Aim: To assess self-reported resilience among Ukrainian medical students, physicians, teachers, and psychologists under conditions of full-scale war and to identify the main factors and strategies supporting adaptation.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Materials and

Methods

An original cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted in 2026. The questionnaire was developed following a targeted review of publications on resilience, education, and healthcare in wartime Ukraine. The anonymous Google Forms survey was distributed through communication channels to approximately 2500 potential respondents, of whom 295 responses were received (response rate: 11.8%). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Open-ended responses were analysed thematically.

RESULTS

Results

The sample was predominantly female (216; 73.2%) and consisted mainly of students or PhD students (214; 72.5%). Most respondents assessed their resilience as moderate or high: 101 (34.2%) reported 51-75%, and 99 (33.6%) reported >75%. The most frequent resilience resources included family relationships, social support, responsibility for others, future goals, professional activity, civic engagement, faith, routine, and self-care. The main coping strategies were cognitive reframing, acceptance, short-term planning, maintaining daily structure, social connectedness, restorative activities, and reflective practices. A smaller group reported exhaustion, lack of support, avoidance behaviours, alcohol or sedative use, and depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions

Resilience among teachers, medical students, physicians, and psychologists is an important area of study. Self-reported data indicated relatively high levels of resilience in the fifth year of full-scale war. However, the study revealed a concerning trend of depressive symptoms and emotional burnout. Strengthening resilience requires institutional support, psychoeducational interventions, and professional development activities.