Psychological Factors in the Development of Medical Students’ Language Personality in the Conditions of War

Abstract

The empirical research was conducted from February to April 2026 to identify the overall language personality of future healthcare professionals in Ukraine under wartime conditions. The study involved 72 respondents, including 54 medical students in their third to sixth years of study and 18 young healthcare workers with up to two years of professional experience. Data were collected through a 32-item questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability testing, correlation analysis, group comparisons, and semantic or thematic grouping of open-ended responses. Speech readiness was assessed as generally good but not flawless, with a mean language personality index of 3.82 on a five-point scale. Social responsibility demonstrated the highest mean score (4.16), followed by empathy (3.54), while resilience had the lowest score (3.48). The language personality index showed the strongest association with social responsibility (Spearman’s ? = 0.68), followed by empathy (? = 0.62) and resilience (? = 0.54), all indicating statistically significant positive relationships. Respondents with direct patient-contact experience demonstrated a higher language personality index (4.01) than those without such experience (3.48). The most frequently identified communication difficulties involved explaining medical procedures, providing emotional support, communicating with patients’ family members, and maintaining self-control in stressful situations. The findings indicate that speech training for healthcare professionals should be integrated with psychological readiness, clinical communication practice, and trauma-informed approaches to patient care. Overall, the results demonstrate that direct communicative experience with patients is positively associated with the development of a stronger language personality among future and early-career healthcare professionals in wartime healthcare settings.

Keywords: education in wartime; martial law; competency-based education paradigm; language; speech; language personality; medical students; healthcare workers; psychological factors; empathy; resilience; social responsibility.