Psychological Problems and Main Directions of Preserving the Mental Health of Higher Education Students in Distance Education

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to consider the features of the adverse psychological consequences of distance learning for students of higher medical education. Materials and methods. An anonymous online questionnaire and psychodiagnostic examination of 195 students majoring in “Medicine”, “Dentistry” and “Medical Psychology” were conducted, using the Beck Depression Inventory and H. Eysenck's scale of self-assessment of mental states. Results and discussion. It has been established that psychological problems related to distance learning are more common among senior students, and are most common among students majoring in “Medical Psychology”, less common among students majoring in “Medicine” and the least – among students studying dentistry. It was found that the most relevant negative psychological consequences of distance learning are an increase in anxiety: in 21.9% of junior students and in 46.6% of senior students studying in the specialty “Medical Psychology”, in 25.7% and 38.2 % – in the specialty “Medicine”, in 18.2% and 22.6% – in the specialty “Dentistry”; mood deterioration: respectively in 62.65% and 60.0%, in 17.2% and 29.4%, in 9.1% and 22.6%; irritability: 68.8% and 53.3%, 22.9% and 35.3%, 15.1% and 22.6%, respectively; deterioration of communication with others: 46.9% and 46.7%, 22.9% and 17.7%, 21.2% and 25.9%, respectively. Higher levels of depression were found in students majoring in “Medical Psychology”: 7.94 ± 4.40 points and 8.80 ± 4.99 points against 3.77 ± 3.08 points and 4.38 ± 3.06 points for students studying medicine, and 2.70 ± 2.42 points and 3.35 ± 2.42 points for students studying dentistry; anxiety: 6.72 ± 6.59 points and 11.23 ± 4.70 points, 7.37 ± 5.31 points and 9.09 ± 4.83 points, respectively; 6.21 ± 4.87 points and 7.61 ± 4.94 points; frustrations: 8.38 ± 5.17 points and 10.67 ± 5.94 points, respectively; 2.86 ± 3.65 points and 4.59 ± 5.10 points; 1.82 ± 2.49 points and 2.74 ± 3.12 points; and rigidity: 7.53 ± 3.61 points and 8.07 ± 4.24 points, respectively; 4.86 ± 4.56 points and 6.53 ± 4.63 points; 6.55 ± 4.80 points and 6.58 ± 4.33 points. The highest levels of aggressiveness were found in students studying dentistry: 9.36 ± 2.73 points and 8.90 ± 4.07 points against 8.74 ± 3.86 points and 7.97 ± 3.55 points for students studying in the specialty “Medicine” and 5.03 ± 3.86 points and 4.80 ± 3.49 points in the specialty “Medical Psychology”. Among students studying medicine and dentistry, the vast majority showed no signs of depression, while among medical psychology students, 6.3% of examined juniors and 13.3% of seniors showed signs of moderate depression. Signs of severe anxiety were found in 5.9% of senior students majoring in Medicine, in 9.4% of junior students and in 16.7% of senior students of “Medical Psychology”, signs of severe frustration were found in 8.8% of senior students majoring in “Medicine” and 12.5% and 20.2% of students majoring in “Medical Psychology”, respectively. Conclusion. The system of supporting the psychological health of applicants in the conditions of distance education should be comprehensive and should include a rational organization of the educational process, a combination of online and offline forms of education, as well as available psychological assistance