EDUCATORS’ STRESS RESILIENCE COPING STRATEGIES IN CHALLENGING LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES

Abstract

The article explores behavioral coping strategies as a key psychological resource for ensuring stress resilience and maintaining the mental well-being of educational professionals in challenging life circumstances. It defines the essence of the coping phenomenon and classifies its main types. The concept and categories of challenging life events are outlined, with particular attention paid to the stressors faced by Ukrainian educators during wartime. The sample comprised 215 educational workers from general secondary, vocational, and higher education institutions across various regions of Ukraine. The study empirically identified the prevailing coping strategies, levels of cognitive flexibility, and stress resilience among the participants. Results of the correlation analysis revealed that a high level of cognitive flexibility is positively associated with greater use of problemfocused and socially oriented coping strategies, suggesting a stronger adaptive capacity in stressful situations. A medium level of flexibility correlated with emotional and social coping, while a low level tended to align with avoidant coping. Similarly, high stress resilience was positively linked to both problem-focused and emotionally oriented coping, indicating more effective responses to adversity among resilient individuals. In contrast, low stress resilience was associated with reliance on social coping and avoidance. The article concludes with practical recommendations for developing cognitive flexibility, emotional regulation, and the deliberate selection of effective coping strategies among teachers.