Behavioral strategies for overcoming stress in students during a session in distance learning conditions

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive theoretical and empirical analysis of the problem of psychological adaptation of higher education applicants to the examination session in conditions of a forced transition to a distance learning form, complicated by the effects of martial law factors. The relevance of the study is due to the fundamental transformation of the nature of academic stress in the digital educational environment: it was established that the dominant stressors are shifting from the plane of social and evaluative anxiety, characteristic of classroom learning, to the plane of technological uncertainty (“ technostress ”) and communicative deprivation. The aim of the work is to classify students’ behavioral coping strategies and determine the nature of their impact on the effectiveness of educational activities. Based on the analysis of behavioral patterns, three groups of strategies activated during an online session were identified and systematized. The first group includes problem-oriented (adaptive) strategies that involve the use of time management, technical organization of the workspace, and active information search, which allows the student to maintain subjectivity and control over the situation. The second group consists of emotionally -oriented (palliative) strategies aimed at regulating the psychophysiological state through the search for virtual social support, humor, and relaxation practices. The third group includes maladaptive avoidance strategies, such as digital procrastination, escapism (in particular, the phenomenon of " doomscrolling "), and academic dishonesty. The study proves that the distance learning format, due to the weakening of external control and the blurring of spatial boundaries between learning and everyday life, creates a favorable environment for the consolidation of avoidance strategies, which leads to the accumulation of academic debt and the emergence of secondary stress. A direct correlation between the use of proactive planning strategies and high academic performance is substantiated. It is proposed to consider digital hygiene and self-regulation skills as key competencies necessary for maintaining mental health and ensuring the effectiveness of the educational process in the face of modern challenges.