War is taking a heavy toll on Ukrainian academics

 

2nd November, 2023

Today’s The Life Academic examines the mental toll war is taking on Ukrainian academics.

THE LIFE ACADEMIC

Working in higher education is a struggle even in the best of times. With massive workloads, constant pressure to publish, and a frustrating lack of administrative support, it’s no wonder academic staff around the world are grappling with burnout.

For academic staff in Ukraine, where residents have been wrestling with the impacts of full-scale war for nearly two years, professional burnout seems inevitable. A recent study published in Scientific Reports found soaring rates of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of professional inadequacy among faculty and staff at Ukrainian universities, all of which have increased as the conflict drags on.

Some of these issues are universal. In their latest edition of the International Classification of Diseases, The World Health Organization describes professional burnout as both a “syndrome” and an “occupational phenomenon,” placing it somewhere between the status of workplace hazard and medical disease. Symptoms include exhaustion, indifferent or negative feelings toward one’s job, and reduced productivity. Though mainly regarded as a psychological condition, chronic work-related stress can disrupt sleep, mess with the immune system, and even increase the risk of heart attack. Large-scale crisis events, such as the global COVID-19 pandemic, can exacerbate burnout by increasing overall stress.

War may be an even greater stressor. As military operations continue to devastate Ukraine, the nation’s academic staff face constant threats to their work and personal safety. The Russian occupation has forced many researchers to flee, with some finding refuge at universities in other countries. Others have remained in Ukraine and kept on working, usually without reliable internet access and often in the face of missile attacks.

Officials at national and institutional levels must take immediate action to improve the mental health of academic staff, the authors of the new study say. This will no doubt be an uphill battle, as employees struggle to avoid burnout even in nations not at war. Studies show that, when academics attempt to maintain a healthy “work-life balance,” they actually end up increasing their mental load. In the context of full-scale war, when healthcare workers are stretched thin and experiencing burnout themselves due to trauma, many typical “self-care” strategies simply aren’t feasible. “You can't tell someone to go see a therapist when there are no new therapists taking patients,” one physician working in Ukraine told MedPage Today.

But although the Scientific Reports study paints a sobering picture of the state of higher education in Ukraine, the authors also seek to highlight the incredible courage, perseverance, and ingenuity of the nation’s academics, who continue to perform their duties even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. “Despite these extraordinary circumstances,” the authors write, “universities and academic staff persist in fulfilling their main mission of delivering high-quality, modern education, steadfastly holding their line.”