4145 - RESILIENCE AND MEANING-MAKING AMONG HUMANITARIAN WORKERS IN WAR-AFFECTED UKRAINE: A MULTILEVEL NETWORK PSYCHOMETRICS TO UNCOVERING MECHANISMS AND PROCESSES

Session: 4141 - EDUCATING FOR RESILIENCE: STRATEGIES FOR NAVIGATING GLOBAL CHALLENGES
AUTHORS:
Giordano Francesca (Resilience Research Unit, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore ~ Milan ~ Italy) , Zambelli Michela (Resilience Research Unit, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore ~ Milan ~ Italy) , Tagliabue Semira (Resilience Research Unit, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore ~ Milan ~ Italy)
Abstract text:
Helping professionals operating in war-affected areas are at high risk of developing adverse psychological outcomes. Nonetheless, increasing evidence shows their capacity to sustain resilient functioning even under extreme conditions. Recent literature has shifted toward a dynamic, process-oriented understanding of resilience. Within this framework, identifying mechanisms that promote positive adaptation becomes crucial. Key factors highlighted in war contexts include positive reframing, empowerment, agency, and supportive relationships. Additionally, meaning making—through both the presence and search for meaning—has emerged as a central psychological resource for coping with adversity. However, limited knowledge exists on how these mechanisms interact in sustaining daily resilience among frontline workers. This study explores the dynamic relationships between resilience and meaning-making in a group of Ukrainian professionals operating in conflict-affected areas. Over a 30-day period, 66 Ukrainian humanitarian providers involved in child protection, education, and community support in eastern Ukraine completed twice-daily questionnaires assessing various aspects of resilience and meaning-making. A Multilevel Network Psychometrics approach (Epskamp, 2021) was applied to investigate reciprocal associations among these dimensions over time. The network analysis revealed a positive pattern of associations between resilience and meaning-making at the daily level. Search for meaning predicted both empowerment and search for positive reframing, while presence of meaning predicted increased agency. Additionally, search for positive reframing was found to predict agency the following day. The findings suggest that meaning-making plays a pivotal role in supporting the development of resilience in war-related contexts. Activating meaning-making processes fosters empowerment, agency, and search for positive reframing, contributing to daily psychological adjustment. These insights can inform the design of targeted support interventions for professionals operating in high-stress humanitarian environments