Naslov
Learning Assistance and Student Support/Psychological Support for University Students during the Pandemic and Earthquakes

Autori
Vidaček Hainš, Violeta ; Kućar, Maja

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, neobjavljeni rad, stručni

Skup
Teaching Academic Survival and Success

Mjesto i datum
Cincinnati (OH), Sjedinjene Američke Države, 01.03.2021. - 14.03.2021

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Ostalo

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
COVID-19 ; earthquake ; Croatia ; student support

Sažetak
The global pandemic of COVID-19 has significantly changed students’ daily lives and has taken a toll on the educational system as a whole. In a matter of weeks, the entire education process was moved online which was not just a technical or digital challenge, but also a psychological one. The focus of this presentation is on mental health and psychological support for students of the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Organization and Informatics (FOI) located in Varaždin, Croatia during a challenging situation of a pandemic. Like their peers nationwide, students spent most of their time at home, attending online classes. Their social contacts were very limited. Besides the pandemic, central Croatia was hit by strong earthquakes and that further complicated the situation for many students. 200 students from FOI live in the region affected by the earthquakes, that caused some of them to become homeless and lose everything. Psychologists and other experts involved in the education process offered various interventions through psychological counselling opportunities. Faculty offered online psychological counselling for students and made various adjustments for students from low-income backgrounds, students with disabilities and students from areas hit by earthquakes. Furthermore, Psychology Society Varaždin also offered telephone lines for psychological support as well as online counselling and webinars on mental health topics. This presentation offers a psychological perspective on students’ reaction to stressful events and their adaptation to the virtual environment and online teaching and learning. Furthermore, risk and protective factors in regards to student's adaption and coping with stressful and traumatic events are discussed. Finally, we propose a model of psychological support for students during pandemic and earthquakes to be used in terms of planning future specific actions for providing support and help for students during challenging times.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Psihologija, Interdisciplinarne društvene znanosti

POVEZANOST RADA