O. N. Golodenko, V. Al. Abramov, A. A. Almeshkina
M. GORKY DONETSK NATIONAL MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, DONETSK, DONBASS
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, young people, just like adults, are affected by extreme psychological stress, but despite the rather high prevalence of non-psychotic disorders at a young age, this problem remains insufficiently studied. The aim of the work was to study subjective cognitive representations and the severity of everyday stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic in young people, and to identify differences depending on gender and the pandemic situation in the world. The collection of material was carried out in the period September-December 2020. The study involved 209 young people. To identify differences in the manifestation of coronavirus stress depending on the pandemic situation in the world, all respondents were divided into temporary subgroups. Psychodiagnostic methods were used in the work: the Scale for assessing the difficulty and uncertainty of the situation and the Questionnaire of everyday stressors. A protracted pandemic with its uncertainty and threat to life, with an informational component, reduces the resource capabilities of young people, which makes it difficult to cope with a stressful situation, loss of hope for its change, with a sense of uncontrollability of the situation, and a decrease in adaptive capabilities. Young women experience especially difficulties in subjective cognitive representation, their cognitive assessment of the COVID-19 situation is characterized (3,6±0,8 score) by a medium degree of threatening nature, with a decrease in resource capabilities in terms of managing and controlling the situation (3,8±1,6 score), with reduced faith in positive variability (4,8±2 score) and a tendency to a protective (passive) way of responding to pandemic stress. Particular difficulties, in terms of the severity of everyday stressors, among young people arose in the areas of professional activity/study (28,2 score ― 28,2 %), general well-being (14,4 score ― 28,8 %) and family (16 score ― 26,7 %). The results obtained can be used as the basis for creating an organizational model of medical and psychological rehabilitation aimed at the effective use of personal potential and coping strategies, overcoming the negative consequences of pandemic stress and restoring psychological adaptation and quality of life in conditions of increased risk to life.
