Abstract:

The "STOP COVID-19 STRESS" project offers science-based, economical, sustainable and widely available solutions to overcome the difficulties faced by students due to the pandemic situation and the extension of the COVID-19 pandemic at the Medical University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. This translates into building mental and physical resilience in students to deal with the consequences of the epidemic and post-epidemic situation and improving their personal functioning and sense of well-being on campus through a web-based platform with panels for preventive programs and active mutual assistance, with conditions for social inclusion.

The relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic as a predisposing factor in relation to the target group (students) and various stress-induced manifestations and conditions such as mental stress in the imposed emergency situation is related to limiting the opportunities to satisfy social, physiological and emotional needs.

In order to prevent risks and to improve the psycho-physical and emotional health of students in conditions of an ongoing pandemic, practical training was held for Bulgarian and Macedonian students to acquire skills for providing psychological help and communication skills for talking to students with a problem (present and/or online training courses), through practical guidelines for prevention and (self) control to support building personal stress resistance and developing adaptive abilities. Learning practices are a tool for building resilience, supporting decision-making to change harmful behaviors and habits, and to adopt a healthy lifestyle during a pandemic.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate student attitudes, barriers, and satisfaction regarding learning, participation, and implementation of resilience-building activities among the student community. After the completed training, a survey semi-structured interview was conducted among the students in two main panels - with open questions and multiple choice questions. The results of our survey show students' satisfaction with the acquired knowledge and practical skills to cope with stress and build resilience, as well as their attitude to participate and contribute to creating an inclusive student community by consolidating leisure as positive to well-being, strengthening of mental health in order to prevent the psychological or socio-economic consequences of the pandemic on student life.

Keywords:

Stress, resilience, students, Covid 19.