Communication as a prerequisite for students’ mental health during the war

According to scientists, communication is both a prerequisite and an indicator of students’ adaptation to learning and a means of emotional regulation under stressful factors. In particular, studies show a decrease in the duration of communication amid rising levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms due to restrictive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia has led to dramatic changes in the life of the population of Ukraine, including students, many of whom were forced to leave their homes, move to a new place of residence, and continue their studies remotely, which affects the process of personal relationships. Given the importance of communication for improving the quality of life of students, researchers at the Laboratory of the Social Determinants of Population Health of the State Institution “Marzieiev Institute for Public Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine” conducted a study of the peculiarities of student communication, taking into account the format of education and the peculiarities of migration during the war, and the impact of communication on mental health.

As a result, it was found that only two-thirds of students (66.9%) communicated with others in person daily. More than half of students have difficulty communicating with their peers. At the same time, more than 70% of students said that regular communication effectively reduces their stress levels. Our research has shown that students who communicate daily in person are 2.6 times less likely to develop depressive symptoms compared to students who do not communicate daily and 2.2 times less likely to develop anxiety. At the same time, it should be noted that online communication did not have such an impact. Ukrainian students who study remotely and/or live abroad have a higher risk of developing mental health problems due to a lack of personal communication.

Therefore, it is necessary to introduce preventive health interventions in the student environment to improve communication, especially to engage the identified risk group (distance learners) in active communication.

For more information about this study, please follow the link:

https://doi.org/10.30888/2663-5712.2024-24-00-078

Head of the Laboratory of the Social Determinants of Population Health of the SI “IPH NAMSU”

Doctor of Sciences (Medicine) Svitlana Hozak

(date of publication on the website 09.08.2024)