SPIRITUALITY AS A FACTOR IN SUPPORTING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS

Abstract

The article is devoted to the philosophical and anthropological understanding of spirituality as a factor in supporting the mental health of higher education students in the context of war and the post-traumatic challenges of modern Ukrainian society. It is determined that the mental health of higher education students is not only a psychological or medical-clinical characteristic, but also a holistic anthropological phenomenon, in which the spiritual dimension plays a leading role, associated with meaning-making, value self-determination, and self-transcendence of the personality within the educational environment. The worldview, meaning-creating and regulatory functions of spirituality are outlined, which ensure the internal integrity of higher education seekers, their spiritual attitude, existential stability and ability to adapt in conditions of military and social instability. The necessity of overcoming reductionist approaches to understanding mental health in an educational context is substantiated, and the importance of interdisciplinary and philosophical-anthropological approaches to its study is emphasised. It is shown that spiritual support for the mental health of higher education students has not only an individual but also a sociocultural dimension, in which religious and spiritual institutions, in particular the church and chaplaincy, play an important role, as their activities contribute to the formation of an educationally supportive environment and the strengthening of the mental health of young students.

The purpose of this article is to provide a philosophical and anthropological understanding of spirituality as a factor in maintaining the mental health of higher education students, and to identify its worldview, meaning-creating, and regulatory role in ensuring internal integrity, existential stability, and the ability to adapt in the context of the modern educational space.

The procedure for theoretical and methodological research is determined by the interdisciplinary nature of the problem of spirituality within the context of an individual's mental health, as well as the need for its holistic philosophical understanding. The methodological basis of the research is a philosophical and anthropological approach, which enables us to consider a person as a holistic being that encompasses the psychological, spiritual, and sociocultural dimensions of existence.

The scientific novelty of the study lies in the philosophical and anthropological understanding of spirituality as a fundamental factor in maintaining the mental health of higher education students. The work transcends reductionist approaches to understanding mental health, which primarily reduce it to a psychological or medical-clinical category, and substantiates spirituality as a worldview, a meaning-creating and regulatory resource for ensuring the internal integrity of the personality. For the first time, the role of spirituality in the formation of existential stability and adaptive capacity among higher education seekers in the modern educational space has been revealed.

            Conclusions. The study substantiates the proposition that mental health is a holistic anthropological phenomenon, in which the spiritual dimension plays a key role. Spirituality, in the philosophical and anthropological sense, is defined as a person's ability to create meaning, transcend oneself, and determine one's values, which ensures the internal consistency of experiences, beliefs, and life practices. Spiritual support for mental health in contemporary Ukrainian society has not only an individual but also a distinct socio-cultural dimension. Religious and spiritual institutions, particularly the church and chaplaincy, play a crucial role in this, as their activities extend beyond religious practice to include social services, volunteering, and psychological and existential support for diverse population groups. Thus, spirituality emerges as a multidimensional factor in preserving and strengthening the mental health of individuals and society.