Abstract
The article presents the results of research on the main individual behavior problems of Ukrainian youth in the conditions of Russian political and military aggression since 2014. Research is aimed at issues of adaptation potential, social and psychological security, psychological health, and well-being of young people from all geographic regions of Ukraine. The concept of “socially determined coping constructs” is proposed and the influence of interpersonal behavior style on the resourcefulness and adaptive potential of youth in the conditions of military operations is determined. Prognostic indicators of young people’s experience of security in the conditions of an unpredictable long-term scenario of military aggression are concise. It has been proved that adaptation potential is a factor of preservation of psychological health that is methodologically considered within the paradigm of humanistic psychology within the range of the concept of resilience, psychological well-being, and personal maturity. Interpersonal behavior can be considered by us as a developed form of interaction of personal genesis and social induced predisposition of a certain objectified relation. Adaptation potential is determined as a social-psychological integral hierarchical-parity formation that ensures homeostasis of mature functioning of personality within the conditions of social stress induced by the activity of adaptation capabilities, their latency, timeliness, correspondence with subjective resources, and vectors of social actualization. There has been an empirical establishment of predictors determining the impact of special features of the style of interpersonal behavior on index of perceived stress, index of coping resources, positive attitude to others, autonomy, environment management, personal development, life goals, self-perception, psychological well-being, inclusion, control, risk acceptance, and resilience. The results of our research became the basis for determination of the phenomenon of interpersonal behavior as predictor of the triad: interpersonal communication, adaptation potential, and psychological health of youth.
Introduction
The modern social space in Ukraine in connection with the state of war is determined by the highest level of threat during the years of independence. Modern studies of subjective safety, adaptation potential, and psychological health of Ukrainians are gaining relevance.
In the categorical apparatus of coping psychology and behavioral sciences, the definition “socially determined coping constructs” was introduced, which combines social-behavioral coping resources and coping strategies that interact with the social space (Maltsev, 2017). Such a new approach for behavioral sciences reveals the prospects of researching youth in Ukraine in wartime conditions.
The matter of the research of the styles of interpersonal behavior within the range of the matters of adaptation potential of human is an important applicable issue of modern social psychology and personality psychology. At the same time, transformation processes incurred the society require actualization of personal potential, corresponding to its challenges, that first pays attention to Ukrainian youth as a social group, affected by the war. At this moment, there are unsolved matters of social-psychological context of the research of adaptation potential of personality and its psychological health on the level of prosocial paradigmatic relations.
There are known numerous approaches to research of the interpersonal behavior. W. C. Schutz (Ackerman, 1960; Borko, 1959) determined three types of interpersonal behavior: inclusion, control, and affection, measuring of which enables to understand interpersonal relations and predict interpersonal behavior. Interpersonal behavior is considered by us as a developed form of interaction of personal genesis and social induced predisposition of a certain objectified relation. Namely, the direction of future social behavior is determined by a certain attitude as a system of temporary contacts of people as personality—subject with all actuality or its certain sides (Miasyshchev, 1960). Within the problematics of our research, it is the attitude that is disposition, tendency toward any objects that enables to estimate self-actualization in real acts of activity/interpersonal interaction, it is appropriate to consider it as a process of direct or indirect impact of subjects on each other (Polyakova, 2017).
Hence, while considering interpersonal behavior as an attitude of a human, one can determine it as a subject system of individual, elective, conscious patterns of objectification of connections of personality with others. It is such subject–object level that determines the environment of adaptations of personality that set the deep settings ensuring the psychological health of personality.
We shall note that the matter of adaptation potential is considered within the context of the concepts: on formedness of internal environment (Bernard, 2013) and homeostasis (Cannon, 1932); stress concept, psychosomatics concept, and concepts of functional system by Anokhin (1975). There is research on bioplastic, biographic, psychic, and personal-regulatory components of adaptation potential (Posokhova, 2010) and the issue of latency of adaptation capabilities, their timeliness, and actualization vector (Maklakov & Sidorova, 2011). Main grounded approaches to research on the adaptation potential are known (subject, activity, existential, resource, salutogenetic, system-synergic, facilitative, and sanogenetic).
The phenomenon of adaptation potential (Wolf & Weissing, 2010) is considered on the level of models of adaptation personal differences that are delayed by conditions of agitation and motivational conditions, conditioned by genetic, physiological, neurobiological, and cognitive systems lying in the basis of individual behavior (Potaskalova et al., 2022).
At the same time, adaptation potential in separate research is considered mostly within the context of reacting to the strategies and conventions within social interaction as it is assumed that the main function of personality is alarming of its future intentions (Maynard Smith & Harper, 2003). The mentioned thesis corresponds with the key methodological grounds of our research as it focuses attention on interpersonal behavior.
While underlining the personality-conditioned nature of system of adaptation, it is appropriate to introduce the term “individual adaptation potential” as a component of adaptation capabilities (of psychological part) that characterizes the level of development of interrelated psychological characteristics being the most significant for regulation of psychological activity and adaptation process (Kokun et al., 2022) and conditions the size of the range of factors of environment to which the organism can adapt.
The Specificity of Personality Adaptation Potential
In our research, the personality adaptation potential is conceptualized as an integral property of complicated system of biological, psychological, and social properties and qualities that ensure successful adaptation and opportunity of preservation of psychological health and professional work capability within changed life activity environment. Personality adaptation potential is a prediction-based property of psychological health.
Concerning the problem of psychological health, it is worth to specify that, like multi-factor integrative system of structural and procedural psychic health and psychological health that is basis for ensuring active way of life (Haletska, 2015; Lytvynenko et al., 2020), functionality of which is conditioned by the principle of balance–misbalance of its component parts (Budiiansky & Dancheva, 2013) and levels of functioning: creative, adaptive, and assimilation-accommodative (Khomulenko & Turkova, 2020; Khomulenko, 2014).
Psychological health is considered as global, universal construct that covers individual and personality levels of psyche as a concord of condition of internal well-being of personality that constitutes its essence and enables to actualize individual, age, and psychological possibilities on any stage of development (Pakhalian, 2015). Our position is that psychological health must be considered within the context of social-psychological well-being and resource approach.
In accordance with the resource approach to the essence of psychological health that turned out to be close by content to the approach that operates the concept of personality adaptation potential, to preserve health and to successfully adapt to difficulties is to have resources that wined the field of activity of the personality, make life purposes more reachable, increase the value of human in the eyes of surrounding people and in his own thought of himself, make him stronger, more significant, and efficient despite hard life circumstance.
Preliminary Studies of Behavioral Strategies of Coping as a Factor of Security of Ukrainians in the Conditions of Military Operations
Thus, Maltsev (2017) conducted research of 412 Ukrainians (208 males and 204 females) living in cities from four regions of Ukraine: Kyiv (n = 110), Odesa (n = 101), Mariupol (n = 101), and Lviv (n = 100). This study, conducted in 2015–2016, turned out to be prognostically significant, since in 2022 Kyiv, Mariupol, Odesa, and Lviv became the cities that are most at risk of invasion by Russian troops.
The study shows that the most unfavorable conditions of the social space are in the immediate vicinity of the combat zone, namely in Mariupol. Bayesian linear regression modeling made it possible to establish that living in the city of Mariupol (β = −.251; 95% Highest Density Interval [HDI] = −0.338 to −0.160) had a negative effect on the income level of respondents, while living in the city of Kyiv had a smaller, albeit smaller, effect, but a positive effect on gait level (β = .161; 95% HDI = 0.065–0.253). It is shown that the region of residence does not affect the number of working hours per week, the number of children, and being married. It was established that the region of residence affects the number of valuable objects in the property: for Mariupol, this effect was negative (β = −.274; 95% HDI = −0.363 to −0.183), for Kyiv—positive (β = .223; 95% HDI = 0.131–0.312), the living space per family member was minimal in Mariupol and maximal in Kyiv: in the first case, the credible effect was negative (β = −.131; 95% HDI = −0.226 to −0.036), and in the second—positive (β = .098; 95% HDI = 0.002–0.194).
The main criteria of the social space are defined: the number of children, being married, the number of years of study at a university, professional subjectivity, the number of working hours per week, the average income per family member, the number of valuable objects in the property, living space per family member, and the amount of loan payments per month are considered as factors influencing the formation of coping strategies. It was determined that Ukrainian citizens most actively use such coping strategies as problem solving (M = 57.829; standard deviation [SD] = 16.355), problem analysis (M = 55.501; SD = 15.471), and self-control (M = 52.035; SD = 15.127). In turn, it was established that proactive coping was most actively used by Ukrainian citizens (M = 2.955; SD = 0.550).
This indicates a high degree of maturity of their own coping methods and allows predicting a constructive, future-oriented result of interactions with the social space. It is noted that residents of Mariupol are characterized by less conscious and more primitive coping strategies: waiting for help, retreating to the subjective world, and anticipatory–preventive coping. The factor of living in the city of Mariupol creates negative effects on all coping strategies that are leading for respondents from other regions of Ukraine. The largest absolute effect was related to the problem-solving strategy (β = −.267; 95% HDI = −0.298 to −0.107).
It was found that the least satisfied among respondents are the needs for security of existence (M = 3.592; SD = 1.271) and security in relation to natural disasters (M = 3.607; SD = 1.235). It is argued that the relevance of the first category of threats is obviously caused by Russian military aggression, while the category of natural disasters appeals to what is a constant risk, regardless of the socio-political situation. The factor of living in the city of Mariupol creates negative effects on all types of subjective sense of security. The largest absolute effect was related to the security of spiritual needs (β = −.391; 95% HDI = −0.501 to −0.287). We also present the magnitudes of other effects as the absolute value decreases: on safety in relation to natural disasters (β = −.285; 95% HDI = −0.373 to −0.195), on physiological and psychological safety (β = −.270; 95% HDI = −0.357 to −0.179), on security of existence (β = −.242; 95% HDI = −0.333 to −0.148), and on social security (β = .183; 95% HDI = −0.276 to −0.089). It was noted that living in the immediate vicinity of a combat zone poses a significant threat to the entire spectrum of an individual’s own ideas about security.
It was determined that the studied parameters of the feeling of subjective security are interdependent (i.e., evidenced by the calculated correlations that varied from r = 0.317 to r = 0.675 and were statistically significant at the p < .05 level). Accordingly, it is shown that the vulnerability of one or more of the investigated components of subjective perceptions of security should cause a threat to all other components, thereby ensuring the complex formation of risks for the individual.
It is shown that the basic leading beliefs for Ukrainian citizens are a positive attitude toward themselves and the world (M = 3.877; SD = 0.912) and the benevolence of the world (M = 3.741; SD = 0.672). It is noted that respondents living in the city of Mariupol are dominated by beliefs in mistrust of people (M = 3.834; SD = 0.609) and a negative attitude toward themselves and the world (M = 3.368; SD = 0.634). It was found that living in the city of Mariupol is a factor that creates significant effects on some basic beliefs. The largest effect in terms of absolute value was related to negative attitudes toward oneself and the world (β = .347; 95% HDI = 0.260; 0.429). The magnitudes of other effects are given as the absolute value decreases: on the benevolence of the world (β = −.318; 95% HDI = −0.402 to −0.231), on the meaningfulness of the world (β = −.273; 95% HDI = −0.180 to −0.358), and on the positive attitude toward oneself and the world (β = −.113; 95% HDI = −0.018 to −0.203). It is emphasized that in the conditions of proximity to military threats, the basic beliefs of the individual acquire a negative character.
It was established that the least satisfied among the researched are the needs for security of existence and safety in relation to natural disasters. Those studied living in the city of Mariupol are characterized by the maximum risk among all sub-samples in relation to the entire range of parameters of the subjective sense of security. The investigated parameters of the feeling of subjective security are interdependent, the vulnerability of one or more of the investigated components of subjective perceptions of security should cause a threat to all other components, thereby ensuring the complex formation of risks for the individual (Maltsev, 2016).
2022: Ukrainian Youth in War
Our pilot study (March 24–27, 2022) on a sample of 54 students from Kyiv aged 18 to 20 years shows that 72.2% of them were in the active zone of hostilities, and 16.7% of respondents are at the epicenter of hostilities in moment of research. For 20.4% of respondents, this is a repeated experience. Among the surveyed, 37.0% experienced the destruction of housing and property, and in 65.8% of the surveyed relatives also suffered the destruction of housing. In 57.4% of the respondents, people from the immediate environment suffered disability, bodily injuries, and physical injuries because of hostilities. In 28.0% of respondents, family members were forced to leave Ukraine. 61.2% of the subjects had new somatic symptoms and complaints, 55.6% had old syndromes, and 59.2% had symptoms and complaints related to mental health (Tkach & Lunov, 2022).
Thus, the relevance of the specified problem, its insufficient coverage in scientific psychology space, and social significance determined the selection of the topic of the research.
Aim and Research Problems
Thus, by summarizing the methodological grounds of the research, we shall specify that the parameters of the style of interpersonal behavior are considered by us as mediatory variables that mediate interrelations between special features of adaptation potential and parameters of psychological healthy of personality.
The object of the research is interpersonal behavior within the system of adaptation potential as a factor of psychological health of personality.
The aim of the research is to establish the significance of the style of interpersonal behavior as a factor the mediates the impact of adaptation potential on psychological health of personality, affected by war.
Method
Participants
The research work has been carried out using the facilities of higher educational institutions of the Central, Southern, and Eastern regions of Ukraine. In all, 249 respondents aged 18 to 25 years participated in the research.
Materials and Instruments
In empirical research, based on our aim, to research the interpersonal behavior, the diagnosis of interpersonal relationships by T. Leary’s technique (by Sobchik, 2015) was used; research of adaptation potential was carried out under the methods of diagnostics of social-psychological adaptation by Test of Personal Adjustment (Rogers & Dymond, 1954) (by Osnitsky, 2004); to define the concept of psychological health and establish its personality determinants, Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-being (by Lepeshinsky, 2007) was used to determine the subjective feeling of wholeness and consciousness of its life by the individual; methodology The Personal Views Survey III-R (by Leontiev & Rasskazova, 2006) and adopted Russian-language variant of English-language methodology by S. Maddy “Hardiness” were used to determine the level of inclusion, control, and risks (by Leontiev & Rasskazova, 2006); to assess the adaptation capabilities and resistance of human to the impact of stress factors, the projective methodology “Human under rain” adopted by Ye. Romanova and T. Sitko (Abrams & Emchin, 2001) and Russian-language variant of English-language methodology “The Draw-a-Person in the rain” (Verinis et al., 1974) were used.
For statistical analysis of the obtained data, the following methods of mathematical statistics were used: correlation and regression analysis. The processing of the obtained empirical data was carried out using the statistical software package SPSS 22.0 for Windows.
Results
Interpersonal Behavior Styles as Predictors of Perceived Stress and Coping Resources
The use of models of multiple regression enables to find out in which scope the carried out interpersonal behavior, in its turn, can be the predictor of psychological health.
Analysis of interpersonal behavior styles as predictors of perceived stress is shown in Table 1.
Predictors for Linear Equation that Determine the Impact of Features of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Perceived Stress Index.
As it can be seen in Table 1, positive and statistically significant predictor of the perceived stress is independent-dominant style of interpersonal behavior (β = .177; p = .043). Obviously, self-confidence, independence, self-orientation, and trend for competition favor for more sensitivity in identification of stress situation and feeling of higher level of stress load. It is this, in our opinion, that turns out to be the closeness of such individuals to behavior type A (Friedman & Rosenman, 1959). Such type of behavior is linked with such personal features, like intense fight for success, competition, irritancy, and easy to be provoked. Sympathetic nervous system of type A individuals turns out to be oversensitive to stressors (Howard et al., 1990).
In its turn, Table 2 shows the predictors for linear equation that determine the impact of features of style of interpersonal behavior on index of coping resources.
Predictors for Linear Equation that Determine the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style Features on Coping-Resources Index.
Table 2 shows that statistically significant predictors of perceived stress are independently dominant and directly aggressive (β = .107; p = .033) styles of interpersonal behavior. Other predictor is negative, which characterizes its inverse correlation. That is, to ensure effective stress overcoming, the examined students must not only be characterized with trend for A-type behavior (i.e., how it was showed above, increases the sensitivity to stressors identification), but also decreased aggressiveness. That corresponds with literature data stating connection between the level of aggressiveness and trend to prefer less effective types of coping—emotions oriented and avoidance in opposition to problem oriented that prevails upon low level of aggressiveness (Łodygowska et al., 2019).
Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Positive Attitude to Others
Table 3 shows the predictors for linear equations that determine the impact of features of interpersonal behavior style on positive attitude to others.
Predictors for Linear Equations Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Positive Attitude to Others.
It is shown that statistically significant predictors of a positive attitude toward others are an obedient-shy style (β = −.205; p = .018) and a responsible-generous (β = .296; p < .001) style of interpersonal behavior. The first predictor is negative, which characterizes its inverse correlation to the indicator of a positive attitude toward others. The second predictor is positive, which characterizes its direct correlation with this indicator. Thus, a positive attitude toward other students allows the ability to effectively overcome their own modesty and timidity and at the same time show responsibility toward other people, encourage, and reassure others. Vorobyova (2012) studied assertiveness as a system-forming property of the subject of adaptation in difficult life situations and showed that self-confidence and positive attitude toward others are associated with the ability to freely make decisions and take responsibility for other people.
Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Autonomy and Environment Management
Table 4 shows the predictors for linear equations that determine the impact of features of interpersonal behavior style on autonomy.
Predictors for Linear Equations Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Autonomy.
It is noted that statistically significant predictors of autonomy are collaborative-conventional style (β = −.254; p = .002) and responsible-generous (β = .337; p < .001) style of interpersonal behavior. The first predictor is negative, which characterizes its inverse correlation with the criterion variable. The second predictor is positive, which characterizes its direct correlation with the criterion variable. Accordingly, the factors that can ensure autonomy are individualism, separation in interpersonal relationships, independent decision-making and demands for their implementation, accompanied by taking responsibility for other people. The obtained results are consistent with the data of O. I. Herasimova, who explicated the concept of “autonomy” in the psychological and pedagogical literature and found that the absolute autonomy of the individual determines the absolute responsibility, and the concepts of “autonomy” and “responsibility” are closely intertwined, assuming the presence of conscious responsibility for their actions.
Table 5 shows the predictors for linear equations that determine the impact of features of interpersonal behavior style on environment management.
Predictors for Linear Equations Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Environment Management.
The table shows that the statistically significant predictors of environmental management are overpowering-leading (β = .197; p = .018) and mistrustful-sceptic (β = −.224; p = .003) styles of interpersonal behavior. The first predictor is positive, which characterizes its direct correlation with the criterion variable. Another predictor is negative, which characterizes its inverse correlation to the criterion variable. That is, such personal qualities as the ability to lead in an interpersonal environment, to show confidence and perseverance, while considering comrades as kind and good, sincerely caring about them, not trying to compete with them, stand out, attract attention, are factors of successful mastery of different types of activities, the ability to obtain the desired result, to overcome difficulties in achieving goals. The psychological well-being of the individual in connection with self-confidence and people was studied by Suntsova and Kutina (2020). The authors showed that individuals with a higher level of self-confidence and others are more likely to show such a criterion of psychological well-being as environmental management. However, the data of these authors can be considered preliminary, because it was conducted on a limited sample of subjects.
Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Personal Development and Life Goals
Table 6 shows the predictors for linear equations that determine the impact of features of interpersonal behavior style on personal development.
Predictors for Linear Equations Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Personal Development.
It is noted that statistically significant predictors of personal growth are distrustful-sceptic style (β = −.184; p = .014), obedient-shy (β = −.179; p = .039), dependent-docile (β = −.195; p = .016), and responsible-generous (β = .180; p = .021) styles of interpersonal behavior. The first three predictors are negative, which characterizes the inverse correlation with the resulting indicator. The fourth predictor is positive, which characterizes its direct relationship with the criterion variable. Accordingly, the factor of personal growth is interpersonal behavior associated with taking responsibility for themselves, as well as humanity, the tendency to show emotional stability in relationships with significant others in combination with building trusting relationships with them. Objectified social structures as factors in the formation of personality are described in detail by Fromm (1986). In turn, humanity, reflection, emotional stability, responsibility, etc., according to domestic scientists (G. Balla, S. Goncharenko, I. Zyazyun, O. Infantry, V. Semichenko, I. Bekh), are factors of personal growth and an important prerequisite for professional development of a specialist (Kharchenko, 2019).
Table 7 shows the predictors for linear equations that determine the impact of features of interpersonal behavior style on life goals.
Predictors for Linear Equations Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Life Goals.
The table shows that statistically significant predictors of life goals are mistrustful-sceptic (β = −.166; p = .025), obedient-shy (β = −.278; p = .001), and responsible-generous style of interpersonal behavior = 0.170; p = .029). The first and second predictors are negative, which characterizes the inverse correlation with the criterion variable. Another predictor is positive, which characterizes its direct correlation with the criterion variable. Thus, the above regression model shows that active effective responsibility promotes effective goal setting. Thus, N. F. Shevchenko studied the formation of responsibility as a general competence of students and found that the behavioral component of responsibility has correlations with the following variables: goal setting as a mental activity of the subject of self-management, that results into a subjective model of desired, appropriate, and planning as mental actions object of self-management; the result is a model of means to an end.
Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Self-Acceptance and Psychological Well-Being
Table 8 shows the predictors for linear equations that determine the impact of features of interpersonal behavior style on self-acceptance under K. Riff methodology.
Predictors for Linear Equations Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Self-Acceptance Under K. Riff Methodology.
It is shown that statistically significant predictors of self-acceptance are overpowering-leading (β = .182; p = .024), distrustful-sceptic (β = −.151; p = .037), and humble-shy (β = −.306; p < .001) styles of interpersonal behavior. The first predictor is positive, which characterizes the direct correlation with the resulting indicator. The other two predictors are negative, which characterizes its inverse correlation with the criterion variable. Accordingly, personal qualities, such as the ability to lead in an interpersonal environment, intransigence, willpower in the absence of competition, rivalry, are predictors of acceptance of a person as he is, regardless of the assessment of their strengths and weaknesses. As a parallel, it should be recalled that Shannon and Guerney (1973) researched the interpersonal effects of interpersonal behavior and found that a positive self-concept is associated with willingness to interact, benevolence, and non-competitive leadership, but not obedience and submission.
Table 9 shows the predictors for linear equations that determine the impact of features of interpersonal behavior style on self-acceptance under K. Riff Methodology.
Predictors for Linear Equations Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Psychological Well-Being.
The table shows that statistically significant predictors of well-being are distrustful-sceptic (β = −.210; p = .004), obedient-shy (β = −.218; p = .009), and responsible-generous style of interpersonal behavior 0.265; p = .001). The first and second predictors are negative, which characterizes the inverse correlation with the criterion variable. Another predictor is positive, which characterizes its direct correlation with the criterion variable. Thus, general psychological well-being is determined by active effective responsibility. This corresponds to the empirical data of the application of the projective method of IAC in the study of Kovalchuk and Kantsyrenko (2016), who found that the social responsibility of the individual is a factor in psychological well-being.
Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Inclusion and Style on Control
Table 10 shows the predictors for linear equations that determine the impact of features of interpersonal behavior style on inclusion.
Predictors for Linear Equations Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Inclusion.
The given table shows that the statistically significant predictors of the involvement indicator are the overpowering-leading (β = .405; p < .001) and distrustful-sceptic (β = −.252; p < .001) styles of interpersonal behavior. The first predictor is positive, which characterizes its direct correlation with the criterion variable. Another predictor is negative, which characterizes its inverse correlation to the criterion variable. That is, non-competitive leadership, which expresses itself as the ability to lead in an interpersonal environment, to show confidence and perseverance, while considering peers good and good, allows students to feel significant and valuable enough to fully engage in life. This is consistent with empirical evidence that the increase in involvement in the Muddy questionnaire is associated with a decrease in the manifestations of such a leadership style as passive avoidance (Eid et al., 2008).
Table 11 shows the predictors for linear equations that determine the impact of features of interpersonal behavior style on control.
Predictors for Linear Equations Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Control.
It is shown that the statistically significant predictors of the involvement indicator are the overpowering-leading (β = .299; p < .001), independent-dominant (β = .221; p < .001), and distrustful-sceptic (β = −.200; p = .003) style of interpersonal behavior. Two predictors are positive, which characterizes the direct correlation with the criterion variable. The third predictor is negative, which characterizes its inverse correlation to the criterion variable. That is, the search for ways to influence the results of stressful changes in students (corresponding to the control component of Muddy) is formed based on the desire to take a leading position in the group, have their own point of view on many issues and influence other people’s behavior. This reveals a strong link between the control parameter and the interpersonal style of behavior, which in its content is extroverted. As is known from other studies, the control parameter is positively related to the extraversion of the Eisenk method (r = 0.43) (Parkes & Rendall, 1988) and the NEO method (r = 0.41) (Maddi et al., 2002).
Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Risk Acceptation and Style on Resilience
Table 12 shows the predictors for linear equations that determine the impact of features of interpersonal behavior style on risk acceptation.
Predictors for Linear Equations Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Risk Acceptation.
As can be seen from this table, positive and statistically significant predictors of risk acceptance are overpowering-leading (β = .285; p = .001), depending-docile (β = .172; p = .033), and responsible-generous (β = .160; p = .040) styles of interpersonal behavior. In his socio-cognitive approach to healthy behavior, “health action process approach,” Schwarzer (1992) notes that healthy behavior depends on the perception of risks, along with other cognitive processes such as expectations of results, belief in self-efficacy. According to S. Muddy’s methodology, “risk-taking” helps a person to be open to the world around him, other people, society. The essence of this indicator is the individual’s perception of life events and problems as a challenge and a test for himself. It should be noted that the above regression model shows a positive value of the so-called “weak” octants in the accepted risks, which in combination with the “strong” octant I can be considered as a certain ambiguity, uncertainty in the perception of the interpersonal context. Accordingly, our data correspond to the data of an experimental psychological study (Tymula et al., 2012), which showed that risk acceptance is determined by the risk of tolerance to ambiguity. According to its authors, biologically, such tolerance can make sense because it allows young people to make better use of learning opportunities.
And lastly, Table 13 shows that predictors for linear equations that determine the impact of features of interpersonal behavior style on general resilience index.
Predictors for Linear Equations Determining the Impact of Interpersonal Behavior Style on Resilience.
The given table shows that statistically significant predictors of vitality are overpowering-leading (β = .411; p < .001) and distrustful-sceptic (β = −.253; p < .001) styles of interpersonal behavior. The first predictor is positive, which characterizes its direct correlation with the criterion variable. Another predictor is negative, which characterizes its inverse correlation to the criterion variable. That is, this regression model shows that non-competitive leadership is a predictor of the viability of student youth. This is consistent with empirical evidence that resilience has been positively associated with transformational leadership and negatively with leadership styles such as passive avoidance (Eid et al., 2008). In addition, resilience has been a predictor of short- and long-term growth in transformational leadership after training.
Thus, study of the parameters of the interpersonal behavior as variables has been carried out, they mediate interrelations between features of adaptation potential and personality psychological health parameters. It has been established that such complex styles of interpersonal behavior as efficient responsibility and incompetent leadership are able to serve as predictors of complex of psychological health and to appropriately favor its strengthening.
Discussion
The results of the study of the psychological health of Ukrainian youth reveal its criterion content and adaptation-resource conditioning. In this context, it is appropriate to mention the heuristic potential of the paradigms of humanistic and behavioral psychology regarding healthy functioning according to the principle of balance–imbalance (Keilin et al., 2022), as values of the sociogenesis of Ukrainian youth.
Our study summarized and supplemented the idea of the structure of psychological health of young people in the conditions of a long-term war. Psychological health in the conditions of war must be considered as a behavioral system for ensuring an active lifestyle. This directs our discussion to its main levels of integration and differentiation: mental, subject, individual, psychophysiological, creative, adaptive, assimilative-accommodative in relation to axiological, instrumental, and need-motivational components.
The obtained results determine the models of interpersonal behavior styles as a factor that mediates the influence of adaptation potential on the psychological health of young people in the conditions of a long-term war in Ukraine. In addition, we proved the socio-psychological conditioning of the psychological health of young people at the level of the functioning of interpersonal behavior styles.
The gained results of the research of interpersonal behavior of youth evidence that contemporary youth express readiness to fulfill duties conditioned by the environment, at the same time the students are not ready to be completely responsible, they do not strive to distinguish like personalities in their social environment, that is this age category appeared to be psychologically immature and not ready for unassisted life. Respondents showed insufficient awareness of present resource potential they have and require assistance in disclosing it. In accordance with contemporary youth perceived stress and coping resources indexes, people are internally ready to cope with stress on their own. That is, students have expressed good resource for preservation of psychological health. It is also noteworthy that young people do not have clear concept of how personal development takes place and that is why autonomy and self-acceptance are not understood by them. The obtained results partially correspond to the research by Van Petegem et al. (2012).
On the whole, it can be noted that contemporary young Ukrainians trend for positive illusions concerning adult life. They are full of optimism, rainbow plans for their future, and simultaneously underestimate difficulties they must encounter. Absence of fears and concerns about problem situations help contemporary students to cope with obstacles and difficulties, and that is evidenced by their personal way of psychological health preservation.
Thus, students perceive difficulties while not feeling real stress and such optimistic shallow attitude to life challenges grants them faith in light future, positive thinking and, as a result, wholeness of psychological health.
As a result of analysis of interpersonal behavior style parameters as variables that mediate interrelations between special features of adaptation potential and psychological health parameters, it was established that such complex interpersonal behavior styles as active responsibility and non-competent leadership can serve as predictors of psychological health components and appropriately impact its strength.
The prolonged war in Ukraine has a significant impact on the daily activity, stress, and moral dilemmas of Ukrainians (Timmer et al., 2022). However, it should be noted that Ukrainian youth in wartime conditions demonstrate high resourcefulness and the ability to continue their inherent activity, primarily in education. Such results can become the basis for dispelling myths about the infantilize or weakness of Ukrainians, since, as is known, Ukrainians for centuries had their own military traditions and special upbringing of young people based on the philosophies of Cossacks-characters (Guzhva, 2020).
Conclusions
The results of our research became the basis for determination of the phenomenon of interpersonal behavior as predictor of the triad: interpersonal communication, adaptation potential, and psychological health of youth. There is disclosure of the issues of psychological health of youth and its adaptation-resource conditioned nature. There is prove of heuristic potential of paradigms of humanistic and existential psychology concerning healthy functioning under the balance–misbalance principle as the value of youth sociogenesis.
It has been established that such features of youth interpersonal behavior and characterology as self-confidence, independence, self-orient, and trend for competition favor for more sensitiveness in identification of stress situations and feeling of higher level of stress load. Respectively, the factor of personal development is interpersonal behavior related to acceptation of responsibility for self and humanity, trend for expression of emotional resistance in relations with significant others in joint with building trust-based relations with them. It has been established that general psychological well-being is determined by active effective responsibility.
Ensuring effective coping with stress becomes possible, first, due to personal sensitivity to perceiving stressors and decreased aggressiveness. It has been noted that search of the ways to impact the results of stress-inducing changes in students (that corresponds with the control component by Maddy) forms based on strive for taking leading place in the group. Thus, strong connection between the parameter of control and interpersonal behavior style has been established.
Positive attitude to others is the result of ability to efficiently cope with own modesty and concerns and, additionally, express responsibility in relation to others, and active efficient responsibility favors efficient goal setting. The factors of ensuring youth autonomy are individualism, separation in interpersonal relationships, unassisted decision-making, and making demands up to fulfillment thereof that is accompanied by taking responsibility for other people.
It has been proved that such personal qualities like ability to lead in interpersonal environment, express sureness, and insistence, at the same type considering mates kind and good, sincerely taking care for them, not being eager to compete with them, to distinguish oneself, to attract attention are the factors of successful mastering various kinds of activity, ability to gain the wished result, and cope with difficulties on the way of implementation of goals.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
