Educational Engagement as a Psychological Resource for Post-Traumatic Growth in Adults under Prolonged Crisis

Introduction

For many individuals, the war has become a catalyst for reconsidering life priorities and redefining future trajectories. One notable manifestation of this process has been the conscious decision to pursue higher education in fields that had long represented personal interests or unrealized aspirations.

Contemporary university students increasingly include mature adults who enrol not merely to obtain an academic degree or satisfy external expectations, but as a result of deliberate self-determination and intrinsic motivation. For these learners, education represents a meaningful pathway toward self-realization, enabling them to restore a sense of purpose, reconstruct their personal identity, and adapt more effectively to the psychological consequences of traumatic experiences. Consequently, educational engagement may constitute an important resource facilitating post-traumatic growth.

The phenomena of psychological trauma and post-traumatic growth have attracted substantial scholarly attention across modern psychology, education, medicine, and related disciplines. In Ukraine, these issues are primarily investigated within the context of the ongoing military conflict, whereas international research has predominantly focused on trauma resulting from natural disasters (Gou Z., Ma Z., 2023; Zhao J., An Y., Li X., Huang J., 2023) and personal injuries (Altinsoy F. & Aypay A., 2023; Boals A., Griffith E.L., Park C.L., 2023).

More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique global context for investigating crisis and post-traumatic growth, enabling researchers to compare its manifestations across diverse cultural and national settings (Fletcher S., Mitchell S., Curran D., Armour C., Hanna D., 2023; Gendre E., Soubelet A., Callahan S., 2025; Gower T., Pham J., Jouriles E.N., Rosenfield D., Bowen H.J., 2022; Kalaitzaki A., Tsouvelas G, Tamiolaki A., 2023; Park C.L., Wilt J.A., Russell B.S., Fendrich M., 2023; Siyuan Li, Huilan Shu, Yuze Wu, Fengling Li, Jianyi Yang, Lanjun Luo, Xuemei Wei, 2025). Recent studies have increasingly focused on post-traumatic growth among children (Eliav A., Lahav Y., 2023; Fayaz I., 2022; Ferris C., O’Brien K., 2022; Jankovic C., Sharp J., Thielking M., 2022; Tang W., Yan Z., Lu Y., Xu J., 2022) thereby expanding scholarly interest in the educational dimensions of this phenomenon. Nevertheless, education should not be viewed exclusively within the context of childhood, as lifelong learning also constitutes an essential component of adult development. The positive relationship between educational engagement and post-traumatic growth demonstrated in studies involving children may reasonably extend to adult learners. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have provided a comprehensive empirical and statistical evaluation of the psychological potential of educational engagement as a factor promoting post-traumatic growth among adults.

Purpose

The primary objective of this investigation is to theoretically conceptualize and empirically verify the psychological potential of educational engagement as a critical factor facilitating post-traumatic growth (PTG) in adults. Specifically, the study aims to:

1. Formulate a methodological framework evaluating formal lifelong learning as an institutional psychological resource during prolonged conflict.

2. Quantify the interrelations between continuous academic involvement and the psychological constructs of hardiness and resilience.

3. Evaluate the neuropsychological and compensatory mechanisms that adult learning activates to mitigate learned helplessness, thereby generating evidence-based recommendations for non-clinical recovery and mental health integration strategies.

Methodology

Ethical considerations

The study was conducted on the basis of voluntary participation and informed consent, in full compliance with established ethical principles for research involving human participants. Ethical approval was granted by the Commission on Ethics and Academic Integrity of the Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University (Minutes No. 3 dated 02/28/2026).

Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process

The authors declare that no generative artificial intelligence tools were used to create research data, fabricate sources, or generate substantive scholarly claims in this manuscript.

Results

Post-traumatic growth (PTG) refers to positive psychological changes that emerge as a result of actively coping with traumatic events and highly stressful life circumstances. The concept of post-traumatic growth was introduced by Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun (Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G., 1995).

Over time, the study of post-traumatic growth has expanded considerably through the contributions of numerous scholars, including A. Cann, K. Taku, E. Senol-Durak, and others. Their research demonstrated that post-traumatic growth manifests across cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions (Tedeschi, R. G., Cann, A., Taku, K., Senol-Durak, E., & Calhoun, L. G., 2017; Fletcher S., Mitchell S., Curran D., Armour C., Hanna D., 2023; Gendre E., Soubelet A., Callahan S., 2025; Gower T., Pham J., Jouriles E.N., Rosenfield D., Bowen H.J., 2022). A clear parallel can be observed with educational engagement, which similarly operates across these three domains and therefore may contribute to the processes underlying post-traumatic growth.

Further analysis of the post-traumatic growth literature has identified several core indicators of this phenomenon, including a more optimistic outlook on life, the expansion and deepening of interpersonal relationships, the emergence of a renewed sense of personal strength, the recognition of new opportunities, and the experience of spiritual and existential transformation resulting from the reconstruction of disrupted core beliefs (Tedeschi, R. G., Cann, A., Taku, K., Senol-Durak, E., & Calhoun, L. G., 2017; Boals A. & Glidewell S.D., 2023; Boals A., Griffith E.L., Park C.L., 2023; Kalaitzaki A., Tsouvelas G., Tamiolaki A., 2023; Park C.L., Wilt J.A., Russell B.S., Fendrich M., 2023; Siyuan Li, Huilan Shu, Yuze Wu, Fengling Li, Jianyi Yang, Lanjun Luo, Xuemei Wei, 2025). Similar characteristics can be identified in the conscious decision to pursue higher education, which is typically associated with optimism regarding a future profession, perceptions of expanded employment opportunities, the acquisition of new knowledge and competencies, and the development of a new professional identity.

Post-traumatic growth is traditionally conceptualized as a six-stage process (Cherednychenko, 2025). Stress experienced within the educational process is generally perceived as meaningful, comprehensible, and manageable. Adult learners voluntarily determine their educational trajectory by selecting a field of study, mode of instruction, educational institution, and the time devoted to academic tasks. Such decisions are intrinsically motivated and goal-oriented, making educational stress fundamentally different from war-related stress, in which both civilians and, frequently, military personnel have little or no control over the circumstances they face.

According to the contemporary researches, post-traumatic growth begins with the acknowledgment and processing of trauma and crisis, followed by emotional catharsis and cognitive restructuring. A new educational perspective encourages individuals to shift their attention from past traumatic experiences toward future opportunities. The educational process is accompanied by a broad spectrum of non-survival-related emotional experiences, while such characteristics as social support, opportunities for self-development, and time for reflection facilitate post-traumatic growth (Tang W., Yan Z., Lu Y., Xu J., 2022; Gower T., Pham J., Jouriles E.N., Rosenfield D., Bowen H.J., 2022; Chemodurova Yu.M., 2024; Gendre E., Soubelet A., Callahan S., 2025).

The neuropsychological mechanisms underlying post-traumatic growth are closely associated with the neurobiology of traumatic stress. Traumatic events are characterized by persistent exposure to danger, resulting in activation of the amygdala and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, which stimulates cortisol secretion. Experimental studies have demonstrated that prolonged exposure to uncontrollable stress diminishes the ability to exert control over environmental circumstances, thereby fostering dependence on external support and reducing personal responsibility for recovery. This behavioral pattern has been conceptualized as the phenomenon of learned helplessness (McEwen, B., 2000). Neuropsychologically, uncontrollable stress activates passive defensive responses mediated by the dorsal raphe nucleus, a major serotonergic center, resulting in behavioral shutdown and a state of defeat (Maier S.F., Seligman M.E., 2016). In contrast, an active coping orientation recruits the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, whose regulatory activity inhibits these passive stress responses. Consequently, the restoration of personal control shifts the organism from passive adaptation to active coping, psych correction and self-regulation, creating neuropsychological conditions that may facilitate post-traumatic growth.

Another important neuropsychological mechanism underlying posttraumatic growth is the increased release of oxytocin. Experimental evidence demonstrates that the presence of a significant other—or even the mental representation of such a person—can attenuate cortisol responses during stressful situations (Hostinar C.E., Gunnar M.R., 2015).

The Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory (Hobfoll, 1989) provides an important psychosocial framework for explaining the effectiveness of education as a factor contributing to post-traumatic growth. According to this theory, crises result in the depletion of both material and psychological resources. For example, the loss of housing represents not only a substantial material loss but also the loss of psychological resources, including feelings of safety, security, social status, and established interpersonal relationships (Husak N., 2018). Psychological hardiness reflects an individual’s capacity to preserve personal integrity and maintain active functioning under conditions of prolonged threat (Chykhantseva O., 2021, pp. 118–124). However, resilience should not be understood merely as the ability to preserve existing resources. Rather, it involves the capacity to identify, acquire, and develop new resources in response to changing life circumstances. From this perspective, excessive rigidity and adherence to previous patterns of functioning may increase vulnerability to trauma, whereas initiative, adaptability, and openness to new experiences create favorable conditions for post-traumatic growth. Within this framework, educational engagement possesses considerable resource-restorative potential in psych correction and self-regulation. It facilitates the establishment of new social networks, promotes the acquisition and refinement of professional competencies, and creates opportunities for personal and creative development.

The theoretical assumptions outlined above received empirical support through the field study. Observational data indicated that Ukrainians, both within Ukraine and abroad, demonstrated a strong commitment to continuing their education despite the challenges associated with war and forced displacement. Overall, 87.1% of the respondents reported engaging in educational activities during the period of military conflict or while living in forced migration. These findings suggest that educational engagement remains highly valued among adults even under conditions of prolonged adversity and may represent an important psychological resource for adaptation and post-traumatic growth.

In most cases, participants independently selected the subject area, educational institution, and mode of study. Notably, adult learners considered it essential that their educational activities corresponded to their personal interests and aspirations, a view expressed by 96.8% of the respondents.

Educational engagement was found to have a predominantly positive impact on participants’ mental well-being. More than half of the respondents (54.8%) reported improvements in attention, thinking, and memory, while an identical proportion observed positive changes in their behavioral functioning.

The findings also revealed a strong positive association between educational engagement and optimism. More than three-quarters of the adult learners demonstrated an optimistic outlook, suggesting that participation in higher education may contribute to maintaining positive future expectations despite prolonged exposure to adverse life circumstances.

The positive impact of learning was also reflected in the expansion of social interactions and the discovery of one’s own potential, which respondents perceived as a sense of renewed personal strength, as reported by 71% and 80% of participants, respectively. The empirical findings confirm that learning enables Ukrainians to recognize new life opportunities, thereby fostering post-traumatic growth.

Ukrainians engaged in learning not only think about the future more often than the past (67.7%), but also identify opportunities to realize their personal and creative potential under these challenging circumstances (83.9%).

A crucial factor in overcoming traumatic experiences, coping with stress, and promoting post-traumatic growth is the sense of control over one’s own life, reported by 67.7% of the students. They demonstrate an active life position (71% of respondents) and continuously improve their professional competencies (90.3% of participants).

One of the key prerequisites for the successful adaptation of adult learners to turbulent social conditions is the transformation of certain core beliefs. This change was noted by 87.1% of respondents, indicating cognitive flexibility, adaptive appraisal, and a high level of resilience.

Thus, the empirical findings demonstrate that learning has a positive impact across all major dimensions of post-traumatic growth. Its influence is most evident at the cognitive and behavioral levels. Comparing the findings with those of the control group revealed several fundamental differences.

Discussion

The findings summarized in the table indicate that indicators of post-traumatic growth were observed, on average, in 71.9% of students compared with 49.9% of individuals who were not engaged in learning. These results suggest that learning is a significant predictor of post-traumatic growth, increasing its likelihood by nearly twofold.

A more detailed analysis of individual indicators demonstrates that learning is particularly effective in promoting positive emotional and behavioral changes. Importantly, these changes appear to be directly associated with participation in learning, as the empirical data indicate that they were virtually absent among respondents who were not engaged in educational activities.

Learning also exerted a substantial positive influence on cognitive changes, the expansion of social networks, the realization of personal potential, future orientation, and the sense of control over one’s own life. These positive characteristics were observed 19.3–31.6% more frequently among students than in the control group.

Particular attention should be paid to the indicator of professional development, which was reported more frequently in the control group than in the experimental group. This finding most likely reflects greater self-confidence and less critical self-evaluation among respondents who were not studying, considering that such perceived professional growth occurred without participation in formal learning.

The educational environment also had a significant impact on one of the mechanisms underlying post-traumatic growth, namely personal activity, which contributes to overcoming learned helplessness through the activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. This mechanism was activated almost twice as often among students (by 45.2%) as in the control group.

Learning demonstrated a somewhat smaller, yet still substantial, effect on the oxytocin-related mechanism of post-traumatic growth associated with expanding and strengthening social relationships. This mechanism was activated 22.6% more frequently in the experimental group.

Similarly, learning significantly enhanced the resource compensation mechanism. The educational environment promoted broader social interaction and greater awareness of personal potential, thereby strengthening resilience. This mechanism was observed 22.5% more frequently in the experimental group than in the control group.

The trauma localization mechanism, reflected in a shift of focus from the past toward the future, appeared to be less dependent on learning. Nevertheless, it was activated 19.3% more frequently among students. Therefore, learning should be considered not only an effective means of facilitating post-traumatic growth but also a potentially valuable component in interventions aimed at alleviating post-traumatic disorders. The results of the psychological assessment are presented in Table 2 and reveal the following patterns. Analysis of the assessment results revealed that, on average, students demonstrated a higher level of hardiness than participants in the control group across all measured dimensions, providing further evidence of the beneficial role of learning.

Strength & Limitations

Practical Value and Implications

The empirical findings of this study possess substantial practical value for implementation science, psychosocial infrastructure mapping, and national public health policy redevelopment. Structurally, these results demonstrate that adult educational involvement should be systematically integrated as a non-clinical component within national Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) recovery frameworks.

For policy makers and international humanitarian actors, this research provides an evidence-based justification to utilize higher education platforms as community-based resilience hubs. Incorporating lifelong learning subsidies and academic access tracks into long-term post-crisis reconstruction strategies directly optimizes resource compensation, enhances population-level mental wellness, and builds back sustainable institutional infrastructures in transitional and conflict-affected societies.

Conclusions

Overall, the present theoretical and empirical investigation demonstrated that participation in higher education possesses considerable psychological potential as a factor facilitating posttraumatic growth. Posttraumatic growth was conceptualized as a multidimensional process of positive psychological change encompassing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral domains that emerges through active coping with traumatic experiences and prolonged stress. Its principal manifestations include improvements in attention, thinking, memory, emotional functioning, and behavior, together with increased optimism, broader social connectedness, a renewed sense of personal strength, recognition of new life opportunities, greater flexibility of core beliefs, an enhanced sense of personal control, future orientation, active life engagement, opportunities for personal and creative development, and the acquisition of new professional competencies. The findings further suggest that posttraumatic growth may be facilitated through several neuropsychological mechanisms, including trauma processing, social trust associated with increasing the level of oxytocin–vasopressin, resource restoration, and the attenuation of mechanisms underlying learned helplessness.

The empirical findings demonstrated that participation in higher education was positively associated with both the manifestations of posttraumatic growth and the neuropsychological mechanisms underlying this process. In particular, educational participation appeared to be most strongly associated with reducing mechanisms related to learned helplessness, while also contributing substantially to resource restoration, the development of social trust, and the alleviation of posttraumatic symptoms. The strongest associations were observed for the emotional and behavioral dimensions of posttraumatic growth. Within the present sample, these dimensions demonstrated particularly close relationships with educational participation, suggesting that higher education may represent an important psychological resource supporting adaptation following traumatic experiences.