Mental Health During Wartime. The Ukrainian Case in the 21st Century: On the Increase of Anxiety Among Students and Teachers

Abstract

Background. The research is devoted to the issue of preserving the mental health of educational process participants in crisis, in particular during the current Russian- Ukrainian war. Amid psychological imbalance, students and educators have experienced anxiety symptoms or conditions that negatively affect their health. Material and methods. The study involved 81 teachers, 148 students aged 12-15 and 137 students aged 16-17 in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Volyn and Lviv regions of Ukraine. The research instrument used to identify the level of personal and reactive anxiety was the Ch. Spielberg and Y. Khanin methodology. The study was conducted between March and May 2023. Results. Based on the analysis of theoretical and media resources, the study reveals a trend of increasing psychological imbalance and professional burnout among teachers. The results of the empirical study show an increase in the level of personal and reactive anxiety among all categories of respondents, which is related to the war in Ukraine. Conclusions. Considering the challenges of modern wartime, it is crucial to provide adequate psychological support for pedagogical interaction participants, consider introducing stress management programs. The study findings demonstrate the necessity for a systematic approach to ensuring psychological health and quality of life in wartime.