Psychological Defense in the Organization of the Time Perspective of Students Under Covid-Restrictions

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying quarantine restrictions have changed the way people live. People find themselves in a situation of social deprivation, distance work and learning, anxiety, fear and stress. The specific attitudes and reactions of student youth to COVID-restrictions became relevant issues for the study. The purpose is to determine features of the psychological defenses activation in their connection with life time perspective organization of students in the terms of COVID-restrictions. The study includes 97 students in the six-month period before the COVID19 pandemic (group 1) and 87 students – 18 months later after the pandemic started (group 2). Such methods as "Lifestyle Index" (Plutchik, Kellerman); "Questionnaire of time perspective" (Zimbardo); "Styles of self-regulation of behavior" (Morosanova); "Internet Addiction Scale" (A. Zhichkin); "Predisposition to addictive behavior" (Mendelevich) were used in the study. Test subjects commented on the degree of concern about COVID-restrictions. The threats from COVID-19 in group 2 led to a relatively high level of activation of such psychological defenses as: denial (U=2604.50; p<.001); displacement (U=2236.00; p<.001); regression (U=2820.00; p<.001); substitution (U=1552.00; p<.001); intellectualization (U=3350.00; p=.016); reaction formations (U=3298.50; p=.011). One quarter of the subjects from group 2, who are most concerned about Covid-restrictions, have relatively the highest level of total stress protection (χ2=6,615; p=.037), compensation (χ2=7,399; p=.025), reaction formations (χ2=8,470; p=.015), the highest (primarily compared to moderately concerned subjects) focus on the Present Hedonistic (U=166.00; p=.031). Almost half of the subjects in group 2 with indifference to COVID-restrictions have the highest level of protection of displacement (χ2=9,811; p=.007) and intellectualization (χ2=7.423; p=.024). The students' psychological defenses under COVID-restrictions are reinforced along with overt or covert anxiety and worry, and are combined with numerous reinforcing connections to the Present Hedonistic and Present Fatalistic, and weakening connections to the Future. Indifference to COVID-restrictions in almost half of the subjects is accompanied by relatively highest activity of the defense of displacement and intellectualization. The high level of concern of COVID-restrictions of a quarter of the subjects is associated with high stress regression protection, compensation, reaction formations, expressiveness of orientation to the Present Hedonistic, increased likelihood of addiction (in particular, Internet addiction).

Емоційний Супровід Організації Часової Перспективи Українських Вимушених Мігрантів За Кордоном

“…The representatives of Subgroup 1, unlike the others, orientating themselves towards the future, mainly depend on positive impressions from the past. This result is entirely consistent with the findings of our previous research of mental health and the organization of time perspective of internally displaced people (Plokhikh & Chipilenko, 2023). We can observe the process of positive transformations in the personality of forced migrants which is activated through removal of inadequate and outmoded intellectual schemes of reactions and through creation of new variants of behavior with a constructive vision of the future perspective.…”

“…Reconsideration of the past life for successful adaptation to new conditions seems a very complicated process for forced Ukrainian migrants (Blynova et al, 2022;Plokhikh & Chipilenko, 2023;Popovych et al, 2023). In this case, two main principally different strategies of coping with a critical migration situation with possible in-between compromise variants are distinguished by the criterion of readiness for adaptation changes.…”

“…They are inclined to firmly and uncompromisingly retain the opinions, approaches and behavioral models formed in the past. In this rigid variant, in order to avoid unpleasant information and undesirable impressions, migrants fully activate different psychological defenses and non-productive coping strategies previously formed (Plokhikh & Suponeva, 2021;. Migrants are mainly inclined to ignore the demands put in the places of their temporary residence or meet them formally not to lose financial support.…”

“…Forced Ukrainian migrants staying abroad have suffered from different stressogenic impacts for a long time (for over a year). It puts much pressure on mental health of the war sufferers (Kireeva et al, 2023;Plokhikh & Chipilenko, 2023;. In this aspect, as shown in the research of Iraqi migrants' state in Australia, long-term migration can exacerbate stress and cause distress in sufferers (Uribe .…”

“…The situation with stress-resistance resources for Ukrainian migrants was complicated before the beginning of military actions. The cause of this complication was the fact that, like in many countries, most Ukrainians suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic, from the quarantine restrictions on usual social contacts, from problems in professional self-realization for about two years (Pfeifer et al, 2021;Plokhikh & Suponeva, 2021). Many people's physical and mental health worsened under the pandemic pressure.…”