An empirical study of the mental health of college students in connection with the mass spread of school shooting

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of the mental health of college students in the context of the spread of school shooting. Purpose setting. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the thesis that psychological and pedagogical support of students in the educational process has a positive effect on their psychological state. Methodology and methods of the study. The methodological basis of the study consists of ascertaining and forming experiments, the abbreviated Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), lifestyle indicator questionnaire, well-being, activity, mood (WAM) methodology, and statistical methods for processing the data obtained. Results. Due to the increased incidence of school shooting that occurred in 2021, there was an urgent need for psychological and pedagogical support for participants in the educational environment, in particular for students. The complete lack of information and psychological support for students has led to an unstable and disturbing psychological atmosphere within the walls of educational institutions. The study conducted ascertaining experiment to diagnose the degree of mental health among students from the control and experimental groups. Subsequently, experimental group participated in the program of psychocorrection and developmental support for subjects of the educational process. The assessment of the effectiveness of psychocorrection and developmental support for subjects was verified by conducting a formative experiment by re-diagnosing of control and experimental groups. Conclusion. The author draws the appropriate conclusions that in the absence of targeted psychocorrection and developmental work with subjects of education, students will not have significant positive changes in their mental health.