MINDFULNESS AS A RESOURCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESILIENCE IN THE CONDITIONS OF WAR

Abstract

The article examines mindfulness as a key psychological resource for maintaining and strengthening individual psychological resilience under wartime conditions. The ongoing war in Ukraine has subjected the population to prolonged exposure to stress and traumatic factors, resulting in heightened anxiety, emotional exhaustion, disrupted sense of control, and a persistent lack of safety. Consequently, the search for evidence- based self-regulation tools that can support adaptive functioning amid crisis becomes critically important. The article provides a theoretical analysis of psychological resilience and its underlying mechanisms, as well as a comprehensive review of the potential application of mindfulness practices in the context of war-related stress. Psychological resilience is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct encompassing cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social, and neurophysiological components that jointly enable effective coping with stressors and the restoration of adaptive functioning. The article synthesizes contemporary theoretical frameworks of resilience, including the works of A. Masten, G. Bonanno, Siberstain L. at all. It is demonstrated that the core mechanisms of resilience include cognitive flexibility, emotion regulation, effective coping strategies, tolerance of uncertainty, and access to social support. Particular attention is devoted to analyzing mindfulness as an evidence-based psychological tool for enhancing resilience. Drawing on the works of J. Kabat-Zinn, S. Goldberg, J. Briere, C. Scott, and other contemporary scholars, the article highlights the influence of mindfulness on cognitive and emotional processes–specifically, the reduction of rumination and catastrophizing, improved attentional control, strengthened acceptance-based responding, decreased emotional reactivity, and enhanced metacognitive awareness. The article additionally describes body- oriented mindfulness practices that normalize autonomic nervous system functioning and reduce physiological arousal associated with stress. The neuropsychological mechanisms of mindfulness are analyzed, including its effects on prefrontal cortical activation, amygdala reactivity, insular cortex involvement, and the default mode network. Mindfulness practice is shown to decrease hyperactivation of fear-related systems, strengthen executive control, facilitate integration of traumatic experiences, and promote neuroplasticity–processes that are particularly crucial during prolonged exposure to stress. Special emphasis is placed on empirical findings regarding the use of mindfulness in wartime contexts. Ukrainian studies demonstrate reductions in subjective stress levels among civilians following short-term mindfulness training, while international research confirms improvements in working memory capacity and decreases in affective exhaustion among military personnel engaged in mindfulness-based training. These findings indicate that mindfulness contributes to restoring a sense of internal control, reducing anxiety, improving emotion regulation, and fostering constructive coping strategies in populations exposed to war-related hardship. The article concludes that mindfulness represents a scientifically grounded and effective resource for strengthening psychological resilience, capable of complementing broader psychological support programs during wartime. Future research directions include the development of Ukrainian-context-adapted mindfulness protocols for various target groups, assessment of long-term outcomes, and integration of mindfulness-based approaches into national mental health strategies.