EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AS A FACTOR OF PRESERVING MENTAL HEALTH AND ADAPTATION OF STUDENT YOUTH TO CRISIS SITUATIONS.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: Organization of research work to substantiate and verify the potential development of emotional intelligence (EI) among student youth as a factor in preserving their mental health (MH) and adapting to crisis situations, in particular, those caused by military actions in Ukraine. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The experimental base was 54 student-teachers of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine). They were divided into a control group (34 people) and an experimental group (20 people), who participated in training according to the author's program. The questionnaire "Self-assessment of adaptability and well-being in crisis conditions of martial law" became the main prognostic tool of the research work. It was developed on the basis of D. Lusin's EI measurement technique, the MSCEIT test; the method of differential diagnosis of depressive states by V. Zung. RESULTS: Results: The research work consisted of two parts: theoretical (definition of terminology, conceptual concepts, hypotheses of research work; development of a structural model of EI) and experimental, which was implemented in three stages: ascertainment (determination of the initial level of EI of the participants of the experiment), formative (organization of training according to the author's experimental program), control (determination of changes in the level of proficiency of EI students). The positive influence of the author's program on the increase in the indicators of EG members' possession by four components of EI (informational; adaptive behavior; self-control; empathy) at three levels is substantiated: high - an increase from 12.25% to 25%; average decrease from 43.75 to 47%; low - a decrease from 44% to 28.75%. The common, special, excellent results of our research work and experimental studies of other authors are shown. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The conducted study generally confirmed the hypothesis that thanks to the training of EI (in particular, its four components: informational; adaptive behavior; self-control; empathy) can become an effective factor in preserving a person's MH and adapting to crisis situations. The prognostic toolkit presented in the work, the procedure for formalizing the results of the experiment, and the methodology of the author's training program for the formation of EI are extremely representative, understandable, and valid. Since the research is based on materials that are publicly available on the Internet, its results can be used and developed by either scientists or medical and social workers, practicing teaching. All life crises, including those caused by military events, mass casualties and large-scale destruction, get to the end sooner or later. Therefore, their experience should be carefully studied in order to effectively use the potential of EI in increasing human life resources.