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Perelyhina L., Yermak I., Fursova K. Posttraumatic growth and moral intelligence as resources for personal self-fulfillment and mental health support under crisis conditions

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Lina Perelyhina - Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Professor of the Department of Psychological Counseling and Psychotherapy, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv (Ukraine)

ORCID 0000-0003-2594-6321

 

Illia Yermak - Postgraduate Student of the Department of Applied Psychology, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv (Ukraine)

ORCID 0009-0004-8270-5203

 

Kateryna Fursova - Postgraduate Student of the Department of Applied Psychology, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv (Ukraine)

ORCID 0009-0000-7326-2667

 

DOI - https://doi.org/10.52363/dcpp-2026.1.5

 

Keywords: posttraumatic growth, moral intelligence, mental health, personal self-fulfillment, psychological well-being, crisis, meaning-making.

 

The article presents a theoretical analysis of posttraumatic growth and moral intelligence as important psychological resources for personal self-fulfillment and the maintenance of mental health under crisis conditions. The relevance of the topic is determined by the growing number of crisis and traumatic events associated with military actions, forced displacement, loss of social stability, disruption of life prospects, and the need for psychological adaptation of individuals to new living conditions. Under such circumstances, not only overcoming the negative consequences of stress becomes important, but also the search for resources of internal transformation, restoration of psychological integrity, and personal development.

Modern approaches to interpreting posttraumatic growth as a process of positive psychological changes arising from the comprehension of crisis experience are considered. The role of meaning-making, reflection, reassessment of life values, and reconstruction of the self-concept in

the formation of posttraumatic growth is identified. Moral intelligence is analyzed as an integrative ability of the individual for ethical reflection, responsible choice, value-based self-regulation, and coordination of behavior with internal moral guidelines.

It is substantiated that posttraumatic growth and moral intelligence interact as complementary mechanisms of psychological recovery of the individual. Posttraumatic growth ensures reinterpretation of experienced events and discovery of new life opportunities, whereas

moral intelligence contributes to the value-based organization of this experience, responsible choice of life position, and realization of personal potential.

An integrated model is proposed according to which a crisis may act not only as a source of distress, but also as a condition for activating the internal resources of the individual through the sequence of processes: experiencing crisis, meaning-making, posttraumatic growth, value reorientation, development of moral intelligence, personal self-fulfillment, and psychological well-being. It is shown that mental health in modern conditions should be considered not only as the absence of mental disorders, but also as a dynamic system of adaptation, development, value maturity, and the ability for constructive life-creation.

The practical significance of the article lies in the possibility of using the proposed model in developing psychological support programs for the population, psychological assistance for individuals who have experienced crisis events, as well as in the professional training of psychologists, educators, and social service specialists.

 

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Date of initial submission of the article to the journal: 23.04.2026

Date of acceptance of the article for publication after peer review: 18.05.2026

Date of publication of the article: 31.05.2026

 

Publisher National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine, 2026

This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode.en

 

How to cite:

Perelyhina L., Yermak I., Fursova K. Posttraumatic growth and moral intelligence as resources for personal self-fulfillment and mental health support under crisis conditions. Disaster and Crisis Psychology Problems. 1(11). 2026. P. 54-67. https://doi.org/10.52363/dcpp-2026.1.5

 

Issue 1(11)-2026

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