PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF SECONDARY TRAUMATIZATION OF JOURNALISTS IN ARMED CONFLICT AND DETERMINANTS OF MENTAL HEALTH PRESERVATION

Abstract

The article presents a theoretical analysis of the psychological mechanisms of secondary traumatization of journalists covering armed conflict and identifies the determinants of their mental health preservation. The relevance of the study is determined by the unprecedented situation of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, where the majority of media professionals experience traumatic impact not through direct presence in combat zones but indirectly — through systematic processing of graphic content, image verification, and working with victim testimonies. Based on the analysis of international and domestic research, three key mechanisms of secondary traumatization have been systematized: Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), Vicarious Traumatization (VT), and Compassion Fatigue (CF). Empirical data refuting the notion of a “safe distance” from trauma are analyzed: journalists who work with graphic content exclusively in newsrooms demonstrate clinically significant levels of distress. Specific risk factors characteristic of Ukrainian media professionals are systematized: chronicity of exposure, emotional proximity to victims, impossibility of rotation, information warfare burden, and organizational culture of silence. Determinants of journalist mental health preservation are identified: resilience, reflexivity, adaptive coping strategies, and social support. The necessity of implementing specialized diagnostic tools (ProQOL, TSI Belief Scale) in media organizations is substantiated. The methodology includes theoretical analysis, systematization, and generalization of scientific sources; comparative analysis of theoretical constructs of secondary traumatization; analysis of empirical data from international and domestic studies. Prospects for further research include empirical verification of the identified determinants on a sample of Ukrainian journalists.