Coping strategies and psychological adjustment to the covid-19 pandemic among the ukrainian students’ youth

The aim: Establishment of emotional and behavioral ways of student response to the coronavirus pandemic, the assessment of dominant coping strategies, and the prevalence of neurotic states and stress among students. Materials and methods: The research used a specially developed questionnaire and a block of psychodiagnostic methods for diagnosing manifestations of neurotic conditions in students (Clinical questionnaire for the detection and assessment of neurotic conditions by K.K. Yakhin, D.M. Mendelevich), the level of psychological stress (Psychological Stress Scale PSM-25) and basic coping strategies (R. Lazarus’ “Coping Strategies” questionnaire). The sample consisted of 213 respondents (119 girls, and 94 boys). Results: Among Ukrainian students, the dominant reactions to the pandemic are depressive disorders, anxiety, and fears, a third of students self-reported autonomic disorders. The stress level is moderate. Girls react to the pandemic situation with more serious mental health disorders compared to boys. The use of all coping strategies was recorded at a high level of stress, which suggests that students have already exhausted their adaptation potential and are maladapted to the current conditions. Conclusions: The study confirms the negative impact of the pandemic on the mental health of young people. The relationship between the type of response to the pandemic and the severity of neurotic disorders and stress was established. Available mental resources to cope with a difficult situation are exhausted, so students prefer to avoid and ignore stressful information. This creates the need for psychological support and educational activities regarding healthcare techniques

Media trust among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine

The worldwide pandemic exacerbated the new role of the media. If previously the discussion was on whether new or traditional media had primacy in popularity and exposure, nowadays the question is whether communicating health issues through social and traditional media leads to understanding their content better and to more trust in both types of media. We surveyed university students to examine the attitude towards information on coronavirus presented in the media. Results showed that although students generally prefer to use Internet news, trust in traditional media increased during the pandemic. We examined a general psychological portrait of young people derived from trust in the media. In the group of students who trust media information, we found indifference (39% of respondents) and helplessness (24.4%). In the group convinced that the media are hiding the actual state of affairs, anger prevailed (32.4%). The third group, confident that the media exaggerate everything, experienced indifference and anger (38.5% and 32.7%, respectively). We may conclude that desire to learn more accurate and unbiased information first hand indicates students' attitude towards traditional media as more reliable sources of information in Ukraine

Positive self-attitude and optimism as determinants of students' resilience in conditions of uncertainty

1. Лич О. М. Життєстійкість як показник адаптованості людини похилого віку. Fundamental and applied researches in practice of leading scientific schools. 2020. Т.41 – №5. – С. 106-111. 2. Панченко В. О. Життєстійкість як фактор професійної адаптації менеджерів комерційних організацій: дис. ... канд. психол. наук: 19.00.05 / В.О. Панченко. Київ, 2016. 237 с. 3. Титаренко Т. М., Злобіна О. Н., Лєпіхова Л. А. Як будувати власне майбутнє: жyттєві завдання особистості. Кіровоград: Імекс-ЛТД, 2012. 512 с. 4. Титаренко Т. М., Ларіна Т. О. Життєстійкість особистості: соціальна необхідність та безпека. Київ: Марич, 2012. 76 с.Актуальність проблеми полягає у необхідності дослідження життєстійкості сучасної української молоді, яка опинилась у воєнний час в умовах небезпеки, невизначеності власного майбутнього, через постійні загрози ракетних обстрілів, через загрозу замаскованих нерозірваних гранат на полях, у лісах, у будинках, звільнених ЗСУ від окупантів. Переживання за рідних, знайомих, які знаходяться у зоні бойових дій, прифронтових та окупованих територіях – все це породжує особливі умови життя та навчання студентів під час війни.The relevance of the problem lies in the need to study the viability of modern Ukrainian youth, who found themselves in wartime conditions of danger, uncertainty of their own future, due to constant threats of rocket attacks, due to the threat of masked unexploded grenades in fields, forests, and houses liberated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the occupiers. Suffering for relatives and friends who are in the war zone, frontline and occupied territories - all this creates special conditions for the life and study of students during the war