THEOLOGICAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SPIRITUALITYAS A RESOURCE FOR OVERCOMING WAR STRESS BY ORTHODOXCHRISTIANS OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The article offers a rigorous theological-psychological analysis of spirituality as a resource for overcoming war-related stress among Orthodox Christians of Ukraine amid the Russian-Ukrainian war. Proceeding from the premise that armed conflict generates a complex spectrum of psychological burdens – heightened anxiety, depressive symptomatology, moral injury, and post-traumatic stress – the study examines how spiritual life operationalizes protective mechanisms that sustain personhood and communal coherence. It focuses on the concrete practices that structure Orthodox religious experience: personal and common prayer, participation in liturgical worship, engagement in the Sacraments (especially Confession and the Eucharist), and pastoral care as exercised through chaplaincy, parish ministry, and spiritual conversations. These practices are analyzed as interconnected media of meaning-making, emotional regulation, and pro-social bonding that jointly contribute to resilience, facilitate the processing of traumatic memories, and foster an inner disposition of hope and peace. Special attention is given to hagiotherapy, understood as the inclusion of the sacred dimension in healing through the experienced reality of God’s unconditional love; this approach underscores the anthropological unity of body, soul, and spirit, and frames recovery not merely as symptom reduction but as the restoration of personal integrity and dignity. Drawing on Ukrainian and Western scholarship in psychology, pastoral theology, and the science-of-religion interface, the article argues that religious faith and spirituality function as empirically plausible coping resources: they enhance meaning-focused appraisal, expand social support networks within parish communities, and mitigate avoidance and hyperarousal by stabilizing daily rhythms through liturgical time. The analysis further highlights the public role of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in strengthening societal resilience by coordinating volunteer service, providing pastoral presence to the displaced and bereaved, and articulating a moral narrative that resists despair without trivializing suffering. The conclusion maintains that spirituality, rightly integrated into psychosocial assistance and rehabilitation, constitutes an indispensable factor in individual and collective recovery, while ecclesial ministry – far from being ancillary – forms a crucial component of the nation’s spiritual and moral steadfastness during prolonged crisis.