The Bulletin of National Defence University of Ukraine

  • Home
  • Vol. 21, No. 1, 2026

  • The psychological communication potential of cadets – future commanders of military units of the National Guard of Ukraine

  • Received 21.07.2025,
  • Revised 25.11.2025,
  • Accepted 27.01.2026
Download article Download article
Vol. 21, No. 1, 2026
  • psychological diagnosis; individual characteristics; law enforcement officers; type of interpersonal interaction; service and combat activities
  • https://doi.org/10.33099/2617-6858-26-21-1-05-15
  • Pages 5-15

In the course of service and combat activities, commanders interact with personnel to ensure the effective performance of tasks, so knowledge of their communicative characteristics is important for the proper professional and psychological selection of candidates for leadership positions. The aim of the study was to analyse the key psychological characteristics of the communicative potential of cadets of the National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine. The study was based on the use of reliable and valid psychodiagnostic tools: the Interpersonal Interaction Questionnaire and the Big Five Questionnaire. The study revealed the main types of communication profiles of cadets, among which the mixed type of response prevails, as well as the sthenic and hypostenic types. The study made it possible to establish the main variants of typical communication profiles of cadets, who are predominantly characterised by a mixed type of response (60%), to a lesser extent sthenic (30%) and least of all hyposthenic (10%). The proposed approach to psychological diagnosis proved to be effective, as most respondents had similar characteristics of communicative potential according to both methods. Only 4% of respondents had diametrically opposite characteristics, which confirms the high reliability of the comprehensive application of methods for psychological diagnosis. The study also showed that professionally important communicative qualities for military personnel, in particular sthenic types of interpersonal interaction, identified using both questionnaires, correlate with each other. Negative communicative characteristics, which also correlated with each other, were often found simultaneously with other indicators of the hyposthenic type of response. The latter are considered undesirable for the service and combat activities of the military. The comprehensive use of the psychodiagnostic tools under consideration makes it possible to reliably determine the characteristics of the communicative potential of cadets and servicemen of the National Guard, which is of great importance for the optimal organisation of interpersonal interaction processes in military units

References

  1. Barko, V., Ohrimenko, I., Boyko-Buzil, J., & Alexandrov, D. (2021). Possibilities of the method of semantic differential in determining the peculiarities of police officers interpersonal interaction. Applied Linguistics Research Journal, 5(3), 28-36. doi: 10.14744/alrj.2021.44712.
  2. Barko, V.I., Boiko-Buzyl, Y., & Barko, V.V. (2022). Comparative analysis of psychographs of police officers by main types of official activity in the National Police of Ukraine. Psychological Journal, 8(1), 149-159. doi: 10.31108/1.2022.8.1.11.
  3. Basinska, B.A., & Dåderman, A.M. (2019). Work values of police officers and their relationship with job burnout and work engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, article number 442. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00442.
  4. Bondarenko, V., et al. (2020). Professionally important psychophysiological qualities of patrol police officers. International Journal of Applied Exercise Physiology, 9(4), 62-71.
  5. Bondarenko, V.V., Okhrimenko, I.M., Bilevych, N.O., Rohovenko, M.M., Tsurkan, O.P., & Holyk, V.A. (2022). Tendency of dynamics of physical and mental working capacity of law enforcement officers at different stages of their professional activities. Acta Balneologica, 64(4), 358-362. doi: 10.36740/ABAL202204115.
  6. CIOMS. (2016). International ethical guidelines for health-related research involving humans (4th ed.). Geneva: Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences.
  7. Civilotti, C., Acquadro Maran, D., Garbarino, S., & Magnavita, N. (2022). Hopelessness in police officers and its association with depression and burnout: A pilot study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), article number 5169. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095169.
  8. Correia, I., Romão, Â., Almeida, A.E., & Ramos, S. (2023). Protecting police officers against burnout: Overcoming a fragmented research field. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 38, 622-638. doi: 10.1007/s11896-023-09584-4.
  9. de Cuffa, D., Kraemer, R., & Steil, A.V. (2018). Use of organizational memory systems in a police organization. International Journal of Knowledge Management, 14(3), 37-47. doi: 10.4018/IJKM.2018070103.
  10. Deschenes, A.A., Gendron, A., Boivin, R., & Rioux, C.A. (2022). Management issues in police organizations during a health crisis. Criminology, 55(2), 171-186. doi: 10.7202/1093869ar.
  11. Ericsson, S., Stenlund, T., Nyström, M.B.T., Öman Ekervhén, L., & Davis, P. (2025). A systematic review of interpersonal skills training for police investigative interviews. Psychology, Crime & Law. doi: 10.1080/1068316X.2025.2592246.
  12. Ernst, S., ter Veen, H., & Kop, N. (2021). Technological innovation in a police organization: Lessons learned from the National Police of the Netherlands. Policing − a Journal of Policy and Practice, 15(3), 1818-1831. doi: 10.1093/police/paab003.
  13. Fedorenko, O., Dotsenko, V., Okhrimenko, I., Radchenko, K., & Gorbenko, D. (2020). Coping behavior of criminal police officers at different stages of professional activity. BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, 11(2), 124-146. doi: 10.18662/brain/11.2/78.
  14. Galanis, P., Fragkou, D., & Katsoulas, T.A. (2021). Risk factors for stress among police officers: A systematic literature review. WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation, 68(4), 1255-1272. doi: 10.3233/WOR-213455.
  15. Galbraith, N., Boyda, D., McFeeters, D., & Galbraith, V. (2021). Patterns of occupational stress in police contact and dispatch personnel: Implications for physical and psychological health. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 94, 231-241. doi: 10.1007/s00420-020-01562-1.
  16. John, O.P., Naumann, L.P., & Soto, C.J. (2008). Paradigm shift to the integrative Big Five trait taxonomy: History, measurement, and conceptual issues. In O.P. John, R.W. Robins & L.A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (3rd ed.; pp. 114-158). New York: The Guilford Press.
  17. Kohlstrom, K. (2022). Professional development in the Swedish police organization: Police officers’ learning pathways. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 33(4), 339-359. doi: 10.1002/hrdq.21450.
  18. Leary, T. (1957). Interpersonal diagnosis of personality. A functional theory and methodology. New York: Ronald Press Co.
  19. Lockie, R.G., Orr, R.M., & Dawes, J.J. (2022). Slowing the path of time: Age-related and normative fitness testing data for police officers from a health and wellness program. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 36(3), 747-756. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004197.
  20. MacDonald, D.J., Camire, M., Erickson, K., & Santos, F. (2020). Positive youth development related athlete experiences and coach behaviors following a targeted coach education course. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 15(5-6), 621-630. doi: 10.1177/1747954120942017.
  21. MacLean, C.E. (2021). Implementing evidence-based research: A how-to guide for police organizations. Crime Prevention & Community Safety, 23(4), 467-470. doi: 10.1057/s41300-021-00129-7.
  22. Masian, A., & Romanenko, O. (2023). Determinants of decision-making by law enforcement officers. Insight: The Psychological Dimensions of Society, 10, 295-315. doi: 10.32999/2663-970X/2023-10-15.
  23. Mojallal, M., Simons, R.M., Quevillon, R.P., & Hatwan, M.L. (2022). Associations of experiential avoidance with burnout, wellbeing, and productivity loss among police officers: The mediating role of negative and positive affect. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 78(11), 2260-2280. doi: 10.1002/jclp.23371.
  24. Sullivan, H.S. (1965). Collected works. New York: Norton.
  25. Tsumarieva, N., Hryshchenko, M., Merdov, S., Hospodarenko, V., & Kyslenko, D. (2023). The model of training law enforcement officers’ readiness for professional self-fulfillment. Amazonia Investiga, 12(63), 277-288. doi: 10.34069/AI/2023.63.03.26.
  26. Tyurina, V., Koziar, M., & Malaniuk, N. (2024). Communicative competence as a factor of formation of the readiness for professional activities in future employees of the sector of security and defense of Ukraine. Pedagogical Discourse, 35, 62-68. doi: 10.31475/ped.dys.2024.35.09.

Submission

 
Flag Counter