Assessing the impact of stress factors of the educational process on psychosomatic health of schoolchildren in the conditions of the Russo-Ukrainian war

Abstract

In the conditions of the current full-scale Russo-Ukrainian war, there is an increase in cases of depression, apathy, anxiety and different disorders, as well as other psychological problems that affect the academic process and psychosomatic health of schoolchildren in Ukraine, which makes this problem an important topic for study. The purpose of the research was to characterize the kinds of stress factors in the educational environment and their possible effects on schoolchildren’s bodies both in peacetime and wartime conditions; and to assess the real impact of school stress on the psychosomatic health of schoolchildren by taking an experimental approach. The theoretical method made it possible to analyze, synthesize, systematize and summarize the information on stress factors of the educational process affecting schoolchildren which is available in academic literature. The experimental research involved schoolchildren attending gymnasiums (high schools) in Pereiaslav, Kyiv Region. An anonymous questionnaire survey for parents was used to determine the presence of anxiety, its causes and consequences for the schoolchildren under examination. The surveyed gymnasium students were tested to determine academic stress, self-assessment of stress resistance and resilience. It has been established that the academic environment of Ukrainian educational institutions in the wartime conditions is characterized by the emergence of numerous stress factors. The high school students under examination had a high level of anxiety, a low level of stress resistance and an average level of resilience. The obtained results of the test to determine academic stress have demonstrated that the educational process had a negative impact on the health and academic performance of schoolchildren. The increase in stress factors during the large-scale Russo-Ukrainian war had a negative impact on the psychosomatic health, academic performance and social adaptation of schoolchildren to learning. Results of this research can be used for development and implementation of psychoprophylactic measures meant to reduce stress conditions in schoolchildren both in the school environment and at home, therefore promoting a favorable psychological environment and well-being