Open Access

Institutional Trust and Psychological Risk Management in International Security and Defense-Related Operations

https://doi.org/10.55640/ijmbd-v03i03-04

PDF

Dunja Ilovača ¹ ,

⁴ COO, Sky Fort Systems LLC Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the psychological structuring of institutional trust and psychological risk management in international security and defense-related operations, with an empirical anchoring in Eastern Africa. Relevance stems from the persistence of high-insecurity environments where cooperation with security institutions is filtered through threat appraisal, trauma-related cognitive shifts, and occupational mental health constraints among personnel. Scientific novelty is articulated through an integrated multilevel model that links civilian trust calibration to officer psychological vulnerability and to organizational mediation mechanisms, rather than treating legitimacy as a purely administrative variable. The work describes how contingent trust emerges through localized interaction patterns and communication buffers, and it studied how depression, suicidality, substance-related coping, and resilience-related protective resources co-produce institutional credibility. Special attention is paid to the recursive loop in which civilian mistrust amplifies officer stress, and stress-driven behavioral dysregulation further corrodes public confidence. The aim of the study is to identify psychologically grounded leverage points for stabilizing institutional trust in high-risk security environments. Comparative synthesis, structured source analysis, and analytical modeling are used to solve it. The conclusion outlines actionable psychosocial entry points for security governance design. The article will be useful for policymakers, mission planners, and security-sector training units.

Keywords

institutional trust, psychological risk management, secure base leadership, community policing, Eastern Africa

References

Cao, F., Li, J., Xin, W., Yang, Z., & Wu, D. (2023). The impact of resilience on the mental health of military personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic: Coping styles and regulatory focus. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1240047. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1240047

Hall, J., & Werner, K. (2022). Trauma and trust: How war exposure shapes social and institutional trust among refugees. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 786838. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.786838

Kanapeckaitė, R., & Bagdžiūnienė, D. (2024). Relationships between team characteristics and soldiers’ organizational commitment and well-being: The mediating role of psychological resilience. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1353793. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1353793

Lim, I. C. Z. Y., Tam, W. W. S., Chudzicka-Czupała, A., McIntyre, R. S., Teopiz, K. M., Ho, R. C., & Ho, C. S. H. (2022). Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress in war- and conflict-afflicted areas: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 978703. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.978703

Modula, M. J., Mathapo-Thobakgale, E. M., Nyoni, C. N., & Jansen, R. (2024). Strategies for coping with occupational trauma: A scoping review of the police officer context. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(7), 921. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070921

Mutahi, P., Höglund, K., & Elfversson, E. (2024). Policing and citizen trust in Kenya: How community policing shapes local trust-building and collaboration. African Affairs, 123(492), 303–328. https://doi.org/10.1093/afraf/adae018

Navas-Jiménez, M. C., Laguía, A., Recio, P., García-Guiu, C., Pastor, A., Edú-Valsania, S., Molero, F., Mikulincer, M., & Moriano, J. A. (2024). Secure base leadership in military training: Enhancing organizational identification and resilience through work engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1401574. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1401574

Ndumwa, H. P., Njiro, B. J., Francis, J. M., et al. (2023). Prevalence and factors associated with potential substance use disorders among police officers in urban Tanzania: A cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry, 23, 175. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04663-6

Njiro, B. J., Ndumwa, H. P., Msenga, C. J., Kawala, T., Matola, E., Mhonda, J., Corbin, H., Ubuguyu, O., & Likindikoki, S. (2021). Depression, suicidality and associated risk factors among police officers in urban Tanzania: A cross-sectional study. General Psychiatry, 34(3), e100448. https://doi.org/10.1136/gpsych-2020-100448

Turliuc, M. N., & Balcan, A.-D. (2023). Stress and psychological well-being in military gendarmes. Social Sciences, 12(9), 517. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12090517

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > >>

International Journal of Management and Business Development

Institutional Trust and Psychological Risk Management in International Security and Defense-Related Operations

Abstract

Keywords

References

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Similar Articles