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Bosniuk V., Yaremenko K., Dilanyan D. Psychological predictors of secondary traumatization among psychologists of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine

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Valerii Bosniuk - Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor, Deputy Head of  the  Department of Psychology of Activities in Special Conditions. National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine, Cherkasy (Ukraine)

ORCID 0000-0003-0141-1920

 

Kateryna Yaremenko- Psychologist of the 1st State Fire and Rescue Unit of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Poltava Region, Poltava, (Ukraine)

ORCID 0009-0004-0640-3262

 

Daria Dilanyan - Higher Education Student. National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine, Cherkasy, (Ukraine)

ORCID 0009-0009-6609-5122

 

DOI - https://doi.org/10.52363/dcpp-2026.1.1

 

Keywords: secondary traumatization, secondary traumatic stress, SESU psychologists, hardiness, empathy, motivation.

 

The article presents the results of an empirical study of psychological predictors of secondary traumatization among psychologists of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine under martial law conditions. The relevance of the study is determined by the specific nature of psychologists’ professional activities, which involve constant contact with the traumatic experiences of individuals affected by military actions, emergencies, losses, and disasters. Prolonged interaction with individuals who have experienced traumatic events creates a risk of emotional exhaustion, professional burnout, and secondary traumatic stress.

The main purpose of the study was to examine the complex role of psychological characteristics in predicting secondary traumatization among psychologists. The study involved

31 psychologists from different regional divisions of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Data collection was carried out mainly through the online service Google Forms.

The findings revealed that most SESU psychologists demonstrated a moderate level of secondary traumatic stress. No high levels were identified in the sample, which may indicate the presence of sufficient psychological self-regulation resources and professional adaptation. Regression analysis showed that the most significant predictors of lower secondary traumatization were involvement and control as components of hardiness, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and the emotional channel of empathy. In contrast, external negative motivation was identified as a factor increasing the level of secondary traumatic stress. The proposed regression model explains 72.4% of the variance in secondary traumatization indicators.

The obtained results emphasize the important role of personal resources and hardiness in maintaining the psychological well-being of SESU psychologists and may be used in the development of psychological support programs and prevention of secondary traumatization among helping professionals under wartime conditions.

 

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Date of initial submission of the article to the journal: 27.04.2026

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: Bosniuk V., Yaremenko K., Dilanyan D. Psychological Predictors of Secondary Traumatization among Psychologists of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Disaster and Crisis Psychology Problems. 1(11). 2026. Pp. 6–17. https://doi.org/10.52363/dcpp-2026.1.1

Issue 1(11)-2026

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