Socio-Psychological Factors of Anxiety in Educational Institutions During a Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic, which entailed forced self-isolation, a change in the format of work and other epidemiological restrictions, led to a deterioration in the educator's emotional state, and subsequently a decrease in the educational process effectiveness. This work is intended to fill a gap in the lack of empirical research on the pandemic impact on the anxiety indicators among employees of educational institutions and organizations. This study was conducted over several months among 76 teachers of higher educational institutions and schoolteachers in Russia. The Spielberg's and J. Taylor's methods were used, aimed at identifying the personal and situational anxiety level, as well as the anxiety manifestations severity. With the use factor analysis, the main causes groups of emerging anxiety were identified, which were later confirmed in the semi-structured interview course. Based on the empirical analysis, recommendations in the checklist format were developed. This study results, namely the leaflets with recommendations, may contribute to the further development of ways to prevent the increased anxiety state and its consequences, as well as methods for preventing the anxiety on-set. © 2022, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education. All rights reserved.

Features of life activity and the incidence rate of anxiety and depressive disorders among medical students studying remotely during the epidemic of a new coronavirus infection (Covid 19)

Aims. The aim is to study the features of life and the incidence rate of anxiety and depressive disorders among medical faculty students studying remotely during the epidemic of a new coronavirus infection (Covid 19) at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H.M. Berbekov. Materials and methods. We examined 335 students (34% males, 66% females) at the Faculty of Medicine in November- December 2020. The average age of the students examined was 20.3+/-2.3 years. The study included an anonymous mail survey to examine educational conditions, lifestyle, levels of anxiety and depression. Results. 43.8% of the students had insufficient sleep duration, 58.5% had low physical activity, in 24.8% of them we recorded high levels of situational anxiety and in 82.1% of them personal anxiety, in 7.1% of the students we recorded clinically expressed anxiety and 1.8% had clinically expressed depression. During the transition to remote learning, students increased the time use to prepare for classes (51.2%) and the duration of sleep (61.5%), while their physical activity decreased (76.5%). Statistically significant linear correlations were identified between the level of anxiety and depression and the duration of sleep, low physical activity, preparation time for classes, academic performance, and academic debt. Conclusions. The results obtained by us can be used to optimize the educational process, as well as to preserve the mental health of students during the transition to distance learning.Copyright © 2020 Novyi Russkii Universitet. All rights reserved.

Factors of Stress Resistance in Doctors and Medical Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to analyze the severity of stress reactions and highlight stress resistance factors in medical workers under the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods. The methodological complex included: social and demographic questionnaire;the Perceived Stress Scale-10 questionnaire;State-Trait Anxiety Inventory;Maslach Burnout Inventory, Russian adaptation, version for healthcare workers);Russian-language version of the 24-itemHEXACO six-factor Personality Inventory;Russian-language version of Kuhl and Fuhrmann Self-regulation Study Methodology (Selbststeuerungs-Inventar – SSI). A total of 318 medical workers (mean age 38.7±11.6 years) participated in the online survey in the period between Apr. 27, 2020, and Nov. 20, 2021. Results. The results of the study revealed that a low level of stress resistance and a high level of emotional burnout were mostly detected in medical workers with specialized secondary education under the age of 30, in female medical staff and among respondents who did not have their own children. The dynamics of changes in burnout rates directly corresponded to the dynamics of changes in morbidity rates during the pandemic periods. Psychological factors of medical staff stress resistance under the COVID-19 pandemic conditions were identified, including such personality traits as extraversion, openness to new experiences and conscientiousness, a developed capacity for self-regulation, will development, orientation to act after failures, as well as congruence of own feelings and readiness to integrate contradictions. Conclusion. The conclusion summarizes the results and presents the limitations and prospects of this study. © 2023, Professionalnye Izdaniya. All rights reserved.

Features of life activity and the incidence rate of anxiety and depressive disorders among medical students studying remotely during the epidemic of a new coronavirus infection (Covid 19)

Aims. The aim is to study the features of life and the incidence rate of anxiety and depressive disorders among medical faculty students studying remotely during the epidemic of a new coronavirus infection (Covid 19) at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H.M. Berbekov. Materials and methods. We examined 335 students (34% males, 66% females) at the Faculty of Medicine in November-December 2020. The average age of the students examined was 20.3 +/- 2.3 years. The study included an anonymous mail survey to examine educational conditions, lifestyle, levels of anxiety and depression. Results. 43.8% of the students had insufficient sleep duration, 58.5% had low physical activity, in 24.8% of them we recorded high levels of situational anxiety and in 82.1% of them personal anxiety, in 7.1% of the students we recorded clinically expressed anxiety and 1.8% had clinically expressed depression. During the transition to remote learning, students increased the time use to prepare for classes (51.2%) and the duration of sleep (61.5%), while their physical activity decreased (76.5%). Statistically significant linear correlations were identified between the level of anxiety and depression and the duration of sleep, low physical activity, preparation time for classes, academic performance, and academic debt. Conclusions. The results obtained by us can be used to optimize the educational process, as well as to preserve the mental health of students during the transition to distance learning.