THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IMPLEMENTING PSYCHOLOGICAL TOOLS IN SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT THE MENTAL HEALTH OF STUDENTS DURING WARTIME

Background. In the 2022/2023 academic year, the Ministry of Education of Ukraine recommended the regular incorporation of psychological tools in the educational process in schools. Monitoring such extensive measures at the population level is essential to assess their effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the impact of implementing psychological tools in the educational process on depressive and anxiety symptoms in school-age children during martial law. Materials and methods. At the end of the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic years, 3,456 parents of school-age children in different regions of Ukraine were surveyed using the Q-RAPH and RCADS-25 questionnaires. The chances of reducing the development of anxiety and depressive symptoms under the influence of new approaches were assessed using logistic regression models. Results. In the 2023/2024 academic year, relative to 2022/2023, parents' awareness of such intervention decreased by 1.9 times (p<0.001). It was found that implementing "psychological minutes" decreased the likelihood of school-aged children developing symptoms of depression by 28.2% (OR=0,78; CI 0,61-0,99) compared to no intervention. The chances of developing anxiety symptoms decreased by 26.6% (OR=0.79; CI 0.57-1.08). Conclusions. Implementing psychological tools during education helps prevent the development of depressive symptoms in school-age children, but further research is needed on approaches to reducing anxiety symptoms. This study's results will contribute to developing psychological support strategies in educational institutions, especially during difficult times, and highlight the importance of current research in this area.