Experimental Psychology in the Educational Process: Studying the Influence of Mental Maladaptive States in Students on Learning

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of experimental verification of the impact of mental maladaptive states in students on academic performance. The purpose of the article is to study the impact of mental maladaptive states on the cognitive performance and academic achievement of students under martial law, as well as to study ways to minimize the negative effects of these states on academic performance. To achieve this goal, the methods of theoretical analysis, empirical methods (experiment, psychodiagnostic methods (Beck Anxiety Scale, Beck Depression Scale, PTSD Self-Assessment Scale (PCL-5), Stroop Test, Montreal Outcome Cognitive Assessment Scale (MOCA), Raven’s Progressive Matrices Test), observation, content analysis), methods of mathematical statistics (chi-square (χ²), Kolmogorov-Smirnov λ-criterion). The article presents an experimental study that analyzes the impact of mental maladaptive states on students’ cognitive performance and academic achievement in the context of martial law. It is investigated how stressful situations and psychological difficulties related to war can affect students’ ability to learn; the focus is on the decrease in attention, memory, concentration and overall cognitive performance due to stress. The results of the experiment showed that students experiencing mental maladaptive states have significant difficulties in adapting to the educational process, which leads to a decrease in their academic performance. The conclusions summarize that all the hypotheses of the experimental study were confirmed: increased levels of anxiety and depression negatively affect students’ cognitive performance; students with high levels of PTSD demonstrate lower academic achievement compared to those without such conditions; the introduction of psychological interventions reduces the negative impact of maladaptive states on learning. The prospects for further research are the development and evaluation of the effectiveness of psychological support programs that will contribute to better adaptation of students under stress.