Motivation and the Psycho-Emotional Reaction of Volunteers in War-Time

Authors

  • Nadiya Hapon Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, vul. Universytetska 1, Lviv, Ukraine
  • Agata Chudzicka-Czupała Department of General Social and Organizational Behavior, Faculty of Psychology in Katowice, SWPS University, ul. Technikow 9, 40-326 Katowice, Poland
  • Marta Żywiołek-Szeja Faculty of Psychology in Katowice, SWPS University, ul. Technikow 9, 40-326 Katowice, Poland
  • Zlatyslav Dubniak Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, vul. Universytetska 1, Lviv, Ukraine
  • Roger Ho Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Department of Psychological Medicine, National University of Singapore, 1E Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119228, Singapore

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2024.1.101.117

Keywords:

volunteering, motivation functions, depression, stress, Russo-Ukrainian war

Abstract

Aim. The aim was to study motivation functions and the psycho-emotional reaction to participation in volunteering in Polish and Ukrainian volunteers who assisted Ukrainian refugees at the beginning of the war in Ukraine in 2022.

Methods. For the empirical study of volunteers, the team of authors developed the questionnaire. The Volunteer Functions Inventory VFI and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales DASS were used. The significance of the differences between the mean results of the measured variables in the Polish and Ukrainian samples was tested using the Student's t-test. Volunteers' expectations of volunteer leaders were tested by analysing responses to the open exploratory question.

Results. The article reveals similarities and significant differences between Polish and Ukrainian volunteers in their motives and psycho-emotional reactions to volunteering. A common motive for both samples is that they are not helping for the sake of their professional careers. Ukrainian volunteers had higher rates of protective, religious, and social motivation functions of volunteering. Polish volunteers had higher rates of motivation based on understanding and empowerment opportunities. Ukrainian volunteers scored higher than Polish volunteers on the depression, anxiety, and stress scales. Volunteers' motivation expectations of leaders indicate the importance for volunteers of leaders' adherence to values, openness of intentions and actions, and attentiveness to volunteers' difficulties.

Conclusion. The survey results can be used in psychological training for volunteers, in planning the activities of volunteer leaders, and in developing new methods for studying volunteer motivation.

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Author Biographies

  • Nadiya Hapon, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, vul. Universytetska 1, Lviv, Ukraine

    A professor of psychology from the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in Lviv, Ukraine. She is a philospher and a psychologist.  She specializes in social psychology, personality psychology, and gender psychology. Her latest research is on the impact of Russio-Ukrainian war on people’ mental health. She collaborates with the Interdisciplinary Center for Research on Social Activity and Well-being FEEL & ACT WELL at SWPS University in Poland. She carries out empirical research, teaches and volunteers for initiatives in her local community. Prof. Nadiya Hapon  is an author of many publications, books, and numerous articles published in Ukrainian and international journals.

  • Agata Chudzicka-Czupała, Department of General Social and Organizational Behavior, Faculty of Psychology in Katowice, SWPS University, ul. Technikow 9, 40-326 Katowice, Poland

    A professor of psychology at SWPS University in Katowice, Poland, Department of Psychology, where she also leads the Interdisciplinary Center for Research on Social Activity and Well-being FEEL & ACT WELL. She has authored many publications, including books, and numerous articles published in books and professional journals. Her research focuses on topics concerning health psychology and work & organizational psychology. She is interested in psychological impact of trauma, determinants of mental health and stress experienced in difficult situations, such as pandemics, war or during everyday activities. She is also interested in morality. She is a recipient of awards for research, which she has been combining with practical application of her research results, for example in business consulting.

  • Marta Żywiołek-Szeja, Faculty of Psychology in Katowice, SWPS University, ul. Technikow 9, 40-326 Katowice, Poland

    A graduate student of psychology at SWPS University in Katowice, Poland, Department of Psychology, where she is also a Research Assistant at the Interdisciplinary Center for Research on Social Activity and Well-being FEEL & ACT WELL. She holds a Master’s degree in economics from the Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland. Marta has authored and co-authored several scientific journal articles and presentations, which were showcased at several scientific conferences, including some international ones. As an assistant researcher, she is involved in several research projects carried out at the FEEL and ACT WELL center. Marta is interested in CSR activities and how employees perceive organizations. Marta also works as a Senior HR Specialist.

  • Zlatyslav Dubniak, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, vul. Universytetska 1, Lviv, Ukraine

    Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. His research focuses on the philosophy of pragmatism, the reconstruction of liberalism, and the analysis of modern culture. His recent collaborative research was on the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on people’s mental health.

  • Roger Ho, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Department of Psychological Medicine, National University of Singapore, 1E Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119228, Singapore

    Tenure Professor at the Department of Psychological Medicine, National University of Singapore and a Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at the Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Hospital. He is the Research Director who oversees research in the department. He is devoted to promoting the highest standard in psychiatric service, teaching and research, in Singapore and internationally. In 2021 and 2022, he was identified by Clarivate Analytics (Web of Science) as one of the Most Highly Cited and Influential Researchers in the World. In 2022, he was recognised in the Top 2% worldwide scientists in a study published by the Stanford University and Elsevier. According to Research.com (2023), Prof Ho has been recognized as some of the best scientists in their respective fields of Psychology based on the d-index, which considers the entire citation distribution of a researcher’s publications and the number of publications and citations received.

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Published

2024-06-13

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2024): Journal of Education Culture and Society

Section

ETHICS

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Copyright (c) 2024 Nadiya Hapon, Agata Chudzicka-Czupała, Marta Żywiołek-Szeja, Zlatyslav Dubniak, Roger Ho

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How to Cite

Hapon, N., Chudzicka-Czupała, A. ., Żywiołek-Szeja, M., Dubniak, Z., & Ho, R. (2024). Motivation and the Psycho-Emotional Reaction of Volunteers in War-Time. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 15(1), 101-117. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2024.1.101.117