Study of Professional Health of Higher Education Teachers in Ukraine under Quarantine

Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems 20(4), 336-348, 2022 STUDY OF PROFESSIONAL HEALTH OF HIGHER EDUCATION TEACHERS IN UKRAINE UNDER QUARANTINE Nadiia V. Sheykina1, Mariana O. Barannyk1, *, Nataliya V. Naumenko2, Nataliya V. Alokhina1, Marina N. Nessonova1 and Lidiia G. Kaidalova1 1 National University of Pharmacy Kharkiv, Ukraine 1 2 H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University Kharkiv, Ukraine 2 DOI: 10.7906/indecs.20.4.3 Regular article Received: 19 January 2022. Accepted: 31 March 2022. ABSTRACT The problem of changes in educators’ various health aspects in the context of transition to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by changes in professional activities, is not sufficiently studied. This study aimed to identify and analyze physiological, psychological, and professional changes in scientific and pedagogical staff of Ukrainian higher education institutions, associated with the transition to distance learning under quarantine, which affected social, psychological, physical, and mental aspects of their health. A total of 254 educators of Ukrainian higher education institutions were surveyed and their responses analysed. The study revealed certain physiological, psychological, and psychosomatic indicators showing that online work leads to health deterioration. The survey showed that educators consider online learning to be ineffective, opting for a mixed form of education under quarantine. It was found that scientific and pedagogical staff is divided into two clusters according to their state of health as a result of new conditions of professional activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two-thirds of educators coped with the challenges quite well, while the remaining third felt severe aftereffects on their physiological and psychological health. The distinct features that differentiate these two clusters were identified and discussed. Most of scientific and pedagogical staff of Ukrainian higher education institutions pointed out that the lockdown and quarantine measures and the consequent transition to distance teaching had a significant impact on their social, psychological, physical, and mental health. Though the majority of educators confirmed their adaptation to the new working conditions, there was a cluster of teachers for whom the process of adjustment was quite psychologically traumatic. KEY WORDS COVID-19 pandemic, teaching and research staff of higher education institutions, physiological changes, psychological changes, professional changes CLASSIFICATION APA: 5900, 7000 JEL: I12, I23 *Corresponding author, : ; +380976158191; *National University of Pharmacy, 53 Pushkinska str., Kharkiv, 61002, Ukraine Study of professional health of higher education teachers in Ukraine under quarantine INTRODUCTION In the context of the forced transition to online learning and remote work caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, various aspects of the physiological, psychological and professional well-being of higher education teachers are of particular importance. The restructuring of life and professional rhythms, the situation of uncertainty and the general information saturation have greatly influenced various health disorders of scientific and pedagogical staff. Such changes are characteristic not just for higher education teachers, however, the teaching specifics contribute to a more acute development of the above changes. Lockdown during COVID-19 undoubtedly affected professional activities, but to a greater extent it affected the employees, who continued working during the pandemic, including higher education teachers. The COVID-19 pandemic has led educators to an unpredictable scenario where the lockdown situation has accelerated the transition from traditional teaching methods to the Internet, and relationships have changed by avoiding direct contact with other people, which has significant aftereffects on their health. According to research in Spain, the situation of lockdown has led to serious problems in the personal and professional life of teachers, in particular due to the pressure exerted on them by online educational methods: many hours of work and difficulties due to lack of physical contact or obstacles to reconciling personal life with family. On the other hand, the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the advantages and disadvantages of online learning, as it can help to expand borders and provide education to every house [1]. The COVID 19 crisis has also exacerbated risk factors, that are usually associated with deteriorating mental health – financial insecurity, unemployment, fear, while protective factors – social ties, employment and education, access to exercise, routine day, access to medical services – fell sharply [2]. The Health Survey circulated by Kaiser Family Foundation in July 2020 also found that most adults report some negative effects on their mental health and well-being, such as sleep problems (36 %) or eating disorders (32 %), exacerbation of chronic diseases (12 %) due to anxiety and stress caused by coronavirus infection. A large number of people who continue working during a pandemic face a problem that is caused by a higher risk of coronavirus infection compared to those who do not work during lockdown. In contrast to employees whose work is suspended during this period, employees who provide vital communications are more likely to report symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder (42 % vs. 30 %) during a pandemic [3]. In present research, we are focused on the professional teachers’ activities. Teachers were found to be concerned about the uncertainty of their professional activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid transition to online learning has led to a significant increase in the teachers’ workload, as they work not only on the creation and placement of teaching materials on the Internet, but also on the development of skills in using the necessary software. However, for a large number of educational institutions, the transition to the Internet is a significant challenge, as teachers try to adapt to forced working conditions in a relatively short time, while this may be a completely “new normal” phenomenon if it occurs over a long period of time [4]. Because lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic affected almost every aspect of society, people had to learn to organize communication and interaction in a new way. In May-June 2020, a study was conducted in Germany that raised the question of how teachers in the quarantine restrictions early stages caused by COVID-19 adapted to teaching via the Internet. Most teachers noted that they updated the curriculum and supplemented it by providing feedback to their students. However, problems that clearly require the integration of information and 337 N. Sheykina, M. Barannyk, N. Naumenko, N. Alokhina, M. Nessonova and L. Kaidalova communication technologies, such as teaching and assessment on the Internet (...truncated)