Makovskyi A. Psychological Support for the Border Guards’ Professional Activities by Means of Military Chaplains’ Pastoral Care.

The thesis presents solution of the scientific problem of increasing the effectiveness of maintaining the mental health of border guards by improving the process of psychological support of their professional activities. In the first chapter – «Theoretical-methodological principles of psychological support for the border guards’ professional activities by means of military chaplains’ pastoral care» – the state of the research problem development in Ukraine and abroad is highlighted, the theoretical analysis of the issue of the psychological support for representatives of risky professions is conducted. Taking into account the essence of the basic research concepts such as «psychological support», «pastoral care» and «means of pastoral care», the author revealed the essence of the definition «psychological support for the border guards’ professional activities». In the second chapter – «Empirical study of the special features of the psychological support for the border guards’ professional activities by means of the military chaplains’ pastoral care» – the stages and organization of the empirical research are highlighted; the algorithm of joint actions of military psychologists and military chaplains during the psychological support for border guards’ professional activities has been developed; the prognostic model of the interaction between military psychologists and military chaplains during the psychological support for the border guards’ professional activities has been created. In the third chapter – «Interpretation of the empirical study results of the psychological support for the border guards’ professional activities by means of the military chaplains’ pastoral care» – the content and methodology of applying group expert assessment (Delphi method) are presented; its results are highlighted; the results of the pilot study are presented and practical recommendations regarding the psychological support for the border guards’ professional activities by military chaplains’ pastoral care are developed for the management staff of military units, the bodies, and units of the state border protection. The scientific novelty of the obtained results is as follows: for the first time: the prognostic model of the interaction between military psychologists and military chaplains during the psychological support for the border guards’ professional activities has been developed and its uniqueness lies in applying the algorithm of joint actions of military psychologists and military chaplains, which involves the integration of means and types of professional activities of military psychologists and military chaplains; the algorithm of joint actions of military psychologists and military chaplains during the psychological support for the border guards’ professional activities, which is characterized by the following types of activities: psychological-educational, psychological-prophylactic, psychodiagnostic and psychocorrective, has been developed; it was improved the process of psychological support for the border guards’ professional activities due to the developed prognostic model of the interaction of military psychologists and military chaplains during the psychological support for the border guards’ professional activities was improved; they acquired further development: the meaningful content of the definition «psychological support for the border guards’ professional activities» (a continuous process of organizing and conducting a complex of socio-psychological activities to maintain the optimal mental health state of the border guard personnel during the performance of their professional duties by forming their psychological resistance to stressful factors, their psychological readiness to perform professional tasks and prevent negative mental states); scientific concepts regarding the psychological support for the border guards’ professional activities, which involve the participation of a military chaplain as a subject of psychological support using the pastoral care means. The practical significance of the obtained results is to develop of practical recommendations for the management of military units regarding the psychological support of the professional activities of border guards by means of the pastoral care of military chaplains.