Teachers’ assessment of the mental health of children with special educational needs during the war

Abstract

Aim: To study the results of teachers’ assessment of the mental health of high schoolers with special educational needs (SEN) after the 1.5 years of war in Ukraine. Materials and Methods: Teachers’ assessment of the mental health of high schoolers with SEN was conducted through an anonymous survey of teachers using the questionnaire developed by the authors. The research, conducted in 2023, involved 739 teachers working with high schoolers (ages 6-10) with SEN. Results: It was found that 32.3 % of high schoolers were in the combat zone or on the temporarily occupied territory; 31.7 % of high schoolers were forced to leave their homes and were temporarily displaced, 17.7 % went through a separation from their parents, 15.8 % witnessed hostilities, and 3.8 % suffered bullying from their peers. In the educational process, high schoolers with SEN most often experienced anxiety (55.2 %), “emotional swings” (48.4 %), restlessness (44.8 %), fear (37.2 %). During the 1.5 years of war, 15.4 % of high schoolers began to study worse, 12.9 % began to spend more time playing computer games and on social media. It was found that 59.9 % of teachers need more information on maintaining the mental health of high schoolers with SEN. Conclusions: The results obtained proved the negative impact of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine on the mental health of high schoolers with SEN, which necessitates the provision of adequate psychological support by teachers of such high schoolers in the educational process.