Proceedings of The 7th International Conference on Future of Teaching and Education
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Study of The Psychological State of Students Living in The Boundary-Line Conflict Region
Dr. Mariam Gvilava, Dr. Ina Shanava
ABSTRACT:
Since the 1990s, the conflicts and destructive processes that started in Abkhazia and South Ossetia still represent the major crisis for the Georgian population. Governed by strong Russian influence and de facto governments, the population of both regions has been cut off from the rest of Georgia for almost 30 years. The lack of social, intensive relations, limited communication and ideological confrontation have further separated Georgians, Abkhazians and Ossetians from each other. In the context of constant fear, socio-economic hardship and limited mobility, protecting the rights of students living in boundary-line and conflict regions, providing them with access to necessary services and taking care of their mental health, remains an important challenge for Georgian society. Students represent an essential part of society, who can not only play the role of participants in the process of major changes and development, but also become initiators of crucial processes. Given that mental health is related to an individual’s psycho-social and physical well-being, researching students is important not only in terms of knowledge and skills, but also in terms of studying and responding to their mental health. Based on this, the aim of the paper was to study the psychological state of students living in the boundary-line conflict region.
To achieve this goal, the study used instruments adapted to the Georgian population: Death Anxiety Scale (DAS); Life – Orientation Scale–Revised (LOT-R), depressive disorder screening questionnaire – PHQ-9 – (Patient Health Questionnaire – 9); anxiety questionnaire (PROMIS Emotional Distress—Anxiety—Short Form); By using the mentioned tools, it was possible to analyze what kind of mental health difficulties (disorders, problems) and what differences by characteristics are manifested among students living in boundary-line region in terms of their psychological condition.
keywords: students, mental health, conflicts