Personality Mental Health - Challenges and Solution: Results of the 3rd International Forum on Commitment to Mental Health

Full Text

Personality mental health and psychological well-being as global and interdisciplinary problems in modern society Maintaining and correcting mental health and psychological well-being of people is one of the priorities and prospects for the development of modern society. The health problems of an individual, personality, professional, citizen, or creative individuality are in the center of attention of doctors, teachers, psychologists, social workers, all specialists who have devoted their activities to accompanying the development of a contemporary person. For three years, the Scientific and Practical Forum on Commitment to Mental Health has brought together professionals in various fields of medical, psychological and social sciences to share experiences and address topical issues related to technologies for diagnosing, maintaining and correcting human mental health in various situations and periods of its development. According to the established tradition, on October 5-7, 2022, the 3rd International Forum on Commitment to Mental Health Issues was held at the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy of the Faculty of Philology of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. The forum was a key international scientific and technical event hosted by the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (the RUDN University Strategic Academic Leadership Program “Prioritet - 2030”, P02KOS project). The co-organizers of the forum were: Charitable Foundation for Assistance in the Implementation of the Programs of the National Health League, ManpowerGroup, Clever Consulting LLC, Higher School of Economics (HSE) University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Federation of Educational Psychologists of Russia, Psi Chi - The International Honor Society in Psychology, Institute of Pedagogical Research of the Republic of Serbia (Belgrade, Serbia), Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University (Yerevan, Armenia), and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Almaty, Kazakhstan). The event was organized in a hybrid format (in-person and online), which made it possible to attract a significant number of participants but, at the same tine, required a lot of preliminary preparation from the conference organizers. The work of the forum lasted three days and its program was interesting in different formats of interaction. Day One: Online Session on Commitment to Mental Health Issues: Preserving, Supporting and Transforming Talent for Future Effectiveness The work of the conference began on October 5, 2022: with the participation of Manpower, on the Zoom platform, together with the partners, a scientific and practical online conference was held, presented by several directions at once. 1. Round Table on Commitment to Mental Health Issues: Social, Psychological and Medical Aspects, which presented the results of the global longitudinal study conducted in 2020-2022 (Figure 1). The discussion was attended by: - Evgeny B. Bashkin, Head of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy of RUDN University, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Head of the Reapple Academy; - Sergey V. Umnov, Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Director General of Clever Consulting LLC; - Tatyana T. Batysheva, Director of the Scientific and Practical Center for Child Psychoneurology of the Moscow Department of Health, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Honored Doctor of the Russian Federation, Member of the Presidium of the All-Russian Society of Neurologists; - Yulia N. Ebzeeva, First Vice-Rector - Vice-Rector of RUDN University for Educational Activities, Head of the Department of Foreign Languages of RUDN University, Director of the Institute of Modern Languages, Intercultural Communication and Migration, Candidate of Philology, Associate Professor; - Nikolai V. Nikonov, Vice President of the National Health League; and - Andrey I. Podolsky, Doctor of Psychology, Professor of HSE University. The participants of the round table discussed topical problems of mental health in the modern world; negative factors and causes of the problems and possible actions in terms of the prevention of mental illness in modern society. Figure 1. Screenshots of the online broadcast of the Round Table on Commitment to Mental Health Issues: Social, Psychological and Medical Aspects on October 5, 2022. 2. Corporate Section on Best Practices: Managing Psychological Well-Being at the Organizational Level was presented by leading practitioners of various organizations: - Kristina Aidumova, Head of SMM, Dodo Pizza; - Vitaly Altukhov, R&D Director, Co-founder of Profilum; - Yulia Karaseva, CEO of Inbalansy; - Oksana Sukonkina, Head of Staff Training and Development at Medpoint24; - Aleksandr Rau, Adidas Academy Trainer, Practicing Psychologist, Gestalt Therapist, Wellness Coach, - Tatyana Kalinichenko, HR Manager at Email Soldiers; - Nadezhda Safyan, PhD in Psychology and - Olga Melnikova, Business Development Director of Corporate Health. 3. Psychotherapeutic Section on Practical Guidelines: How to Maintain and Strengthen Psychological Health. The baton of presentations was taken over by leading practicing psychotherapists: - Anna Butakova, Clinical Psychologist, Cognitive Behavioral Therapist; - Anastasia Kuzina, Humanistic Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Author and Presenter of Psychological Trainings, Business Coach; - Vitalina Burova, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist. The first day of the conference ended with summing up the results of the sessions. Day Two: Scientific and Practical Conference on Commitment to Mental Health Issues On October 6, 2022, RUDN University hosted the Scientific and Practical Conference in the format of an international scientific platform (in-person and online), which was represented by a plenary session, seven panel sessions and a poster session. In total, more than 400 people took part in the conference (the faculty and academic staff of universities and research institutes, practicing psychologists, graduate students, and students) and 194 reports were presented (in-person, online and in absentia) at the plenary session and within the framework of the panel sessions. Well-known scientists from Armenia, Belarus, Italy, Kazakhstan, Serbia, the USA and Russia took part in the opening ceremony and the plenary session and presented their reports. Figure 2. Opening of the International Scientific and Practical Conference on Commitment to Mental Health Issues (October 6, 2022). The conference participants were welcomed by Viktor V. Barabash, Doctor of Philology, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of Philology (RUDN University, Moscow, Russia); Oksana I. Aleksandrova, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor, Deputy Dean for Research, Faculty of Philology (RUDN University, Moscow, Russia); Nikoleta Gutvajn, Doctor of Education, Chief Researcher, Director of the Institute for Educational Research (Belgrade, Serbia); Daniil V. Antyukhov, General Director of the League of Nation’s Health Charitable Foundation (Moscow, Russia); and Harold Takooshian, Doctor of Psychology, Professor of Psychology and Organizational Leadership at Fordham University (New York, USA), Member of the United Nations Coalition of Psychologists, Honorary Psi Chi Member (Figure 2). Further, at the plenary session, leading international and Russian scientists presented reports on the problems of mental health and technologies for its maintenance in many areas of the life of a modern person: 1) Asya S. Berberyan, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Head of the Department of Psychology of the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University (Yerevan, Armenia), topic: “Emotional burnout and indicators of psychological health of specialists in helping professions: an existential-humanistic approach”; 2) Natalya E. Vodopyanova, Doctor of Psychology, Professor of the Department of Psychological Support for Professional Activities of the Faculty of Psychology of St. Petersburg State University (St. Petersburg, Russia), topic: “Combating burnout in the context of the health of the subject of work”; 3) Emanuele Isidori, Professor, University of Rome “Foro Italico” (Rome, Italy), topic: “Sports coaching and the motivation of athletes or athletes with disabilities from a humanistic perspective”; 4) Isidora Korac, Doctor of Pedagogy, Professor of the Sirmium Higher School of Pedagogy and Informatics (Belgrade - Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia), topic: “The climate of the institution as a factor contributing to the successful functioning, mental health and job satisfaction of employees”; 5) Jelena Stanisic, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Researcher at the Institute of Pedagogical Research of the Republic of Serbia (Belgrade, Serbia), topic: “Mental health and environmental education”; 6) Olga A. Ulyanina, Doctor of Psychology, Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Associate Professor, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Education, Head of the Federal Coordinating Center for the Provision of Psychological Service in the Russian Federation, MSUPE (Moscow, Russia), topic: “Psychological safety of the educational environment”; 7) Inna B. Bovina, Doctor of Psychology, Associate Professor, Professor of the Department of Clinical and Legal Psychology, MSUPE (Moscow, Russia), topic: “Radicalization: in search of an explanatory scheme (from personality anomaly to experiencing uncertainty)”; 8) Sharkul T. Taubaeva, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Pedagogy and Educational Management of the Faculty of Philosophy and Political Science of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Almaty, Kazakhstan), topic: “Pedagogical problems of protecting the mental health of students in the Republic of Kazakhstan: experience, problems and solutions”. Figure 3. Work of the poster session during the International Scientific and Practical Conference on Commitment to Mental Health Issues and rewarding students for success in studies, research and social work (October 6, 2022). After the end of the plenary session, according to the established tradition, a youth poster session was organized (Figure 3), which was attended by 25 speakers (postgraduate, graduate and undergraduate students majoring in Psychology at the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy of the Philological Faculty of RUDN University). Based on the voting, the conference participants determined the authors of the best poster presentations: 1) Dragana Džamić (Serbia), topic: “Gender stereotypes in different cultures”; 2) Elisaveta Batyrova (Uzbekistan), topic: “Gender differences of Koreans in the striving for power” 3) Tamara Jafarova (Russia), topic: “Recommendations for the development of stress tolerance in the learning environment”. In the afternoon, meetings of seven panel sessions of the conference were held (Figure 4): their work was conducted by the leading international and Russian experts in the relevant areas of research: 1) ‘The problem of professional health and self-realization in conditions of emotional tension’, Chairs: Sergey I. Kudinov, Doctor of Psychology, Professor of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy (RUDN University, Moscow, Russia) and Stanislav S. Kudinov, PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy (RUDN University, Moscow, Russia); 2) ‘Problems of maintaining the psychological health of students and teachers’, Chairs: Nikoleta Gutvajn, Doctor of Education, Director of the Institute for Pedagogical Research (Belgrade, Serbia), Olga B. Mikhailova, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy (RUDN University, Moscow, Russia), Nina L. Sungurova, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Pedagogy (RUDN University, Moscow, Russia); Figure 4. Work of the panel sessions of the International Scientific and Practical Conference on Commitment to Mental Health Issues in in-person and online formats (October 6, 2022). 3) ‘The problem of psychological well-being in a situation of uncertainty’, Chairs: Viktor P. Sheinov, Doctor of Sociological Sciences, Professor of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogical Education (Republican Institute of Higher Education, Minsk, Belarus); Irina A. Novikova, PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy (RUDN University, Moscow, Russia); 4) ‘Mental health: Diagnosis and support in situations of emotional instability’, Chairs: Asya S. Berberyan, Doctor of Psychology, Head of the Department of Psychology (Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University, Yerevan, Armenia); Evgeny B. Bashkin, PhD in Psychology, Head of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy (RUDN University, Moscow, Russia); 5) ‘Education in the era of digitalization and its impact on psychological health’, Chairs: Sharkul T. Taubaeva, Doctor of Pedagogy, Professor of the Department of Pedagogy and Educational Management (Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan), Dmitry S. Ermakov, Doctor of Pedagogy, Professor of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy (RUDN University, Moscow, Russia), Zulfiya R. Khairova, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy (RUDN University, Moscow, Russia); 6) ‘Providing emergency and crisis psychological assistance to participants in educational relations: technologies and methods’, Chairs: Olga A. Ulyanina, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Education, Doctor of Psychology, Head of the Federal Coordinating Center for the Provision of Psychological Services in the Education System of the Russian Federation, MSUPE, Anna V. Ermolaeva, Head of the Department of Emergency Psychological Assistance of the Federal Coordinating Center for the Provision of Psychological Services in the Education System of the Russian Federation, MSUPE (Moscow, Russia); 7) ‘Children’s health in modern society’, Chairs: Tatyana T. Batysheva, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Honored Doctor of the Russian Federation, Chief External Expert of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for Children’s Medical Rehabilitation, Chief External Expert of the Moscow Health Department for Children’s Neurology, Director of the Scientific and Practical Center for Child Psychoneurology of the Moscow Health Department, Head of the Department of Neurology, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine and Childhood Psychology, FCME, RUDN MI, Olga V. Bykova, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Pediatric Neurologist, Head of the Research Department of the Scientific and Practical Center for Child Psychoneurology of the Moscow Department of Health, Professor of the Department of Neurology, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine of Pediatrics, FCME, RUDN MI (Moscow, Russia). The results of the work of the panel sessions were summed up at the final meeting in the format of a round table. The organizers and participants of the conference discussed the main problems of modern research on the mental health of the individual and society, identified new relevant areas for further scientific research on the problem of commitment to mental health as well as prospects for interdisciplinary and international cooperation and the organization of new scientific forums. At the end of the round table, the winners of the poster session were awarded, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy of the RUDN University, who received diplomas for academic success, research and social work. In total, the plenary session, the panel sessions and the round table of the conference were attended by 85 foreign scientists from 14 countries of the world (Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Serbia, USA, and Vietnam) and 300 Russian participants from Moscow and 25 regions of the Russian Federation (St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnodar, Tomsk, Yekaterinburg, Kemerovo, Khabarovsk, Yaroslavl, Cheboksary, etc.). It should be noted that, despite the difficult geopolitical situation in the world, the organizers managed to ensure full-time and remote participation in the conference of leading international scientists, who, as noted above, spoke at the plenary session, led or attended the work of the sections, and discussed the results of the scientific forum. For example, during the work of the panel session “The problem of psychological well-being in a situation of uncertainty”, online presentations were organized for Harold Takushyan, Doctor of Psychology, Professor at Fordham University (New York, USA) and David Livert, Doctor of Psychology, Professor at the University of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania, USA), President of the Psychology Coalition at the United Nations (PCUN). The scientists spoke about the focus areas of the Coalition within the framework of the UN program to support global mental health: holding international conferences and webinars, publishing a series of books, establishing and strengthening international contacts, etc. The second day of the forum ended with the Mental Health Film Festival. The participants were shown an Italian documentary film, In the Mind’s Garden, directed by Matteo Balsamo (18+), which from the first minutes immerses the viewer in the very depths of psychiatric hospitals. Patients, doctors, photojournalists from all over the world lifted the veil of secrets and spoke about the conditions of treatment, shared their own views on mental health and its social consequences. Immediately after the screening, a discussion was held with experts in the field of mental health. The experts were: Igor P. Krokhin, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Clinical Psychology, Yevdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry; Vadim R. Shlychkov, Research Fellow of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and Civil Defense Academy of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The special guest of the section was Alina Radunskaya, Director of the Mental Health Film Festival. The moderator of the festival was Zulfiya R. Khairova, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy of the RUDN University. Day Three: International Charitable Sports and Psychological Festival On October 7, 2022, RUDN University held the International Charitable Sports and Psychological Festival (Figure 5). At the opening of the festival in the assembly hall of the main building, the following persons spoke: Oleg A. Yastrebov, Rector of the RUDN University, Doctor of Law and Economics, Professor, Head of the Department of Administrative and Financial Law; Evgeny B. Bashkin, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Conference, Head of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy of the Faculty of Philology, Candidate of Psychological Sciences; Diana Gurtskaya, Russian pop singer and public figure; and Nikolai Kononov, Vice President of the National Health League. The opening of the festival ended with a performance by the singer Alena Selezneva. One of the key goals of the festival was the announcement of the 10,000 steps campaign and the announcement of charity fundraising. The collected funds were directed to the practice bases of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy of the Faculty of Philology of RUDN University, i.e., to the charitable foundations ‘Lifestyle’, ‘Capital of Mercy’ and ‘Here and Now’. For guests and participants of the festival, a cycle of master classes on art therapy was arranged, which took place in the main building of RUDN University (Figure 6): 1) Eco-Humanitarian Technology ‘Archetypic Art Constructor’, conducted by Aleksandr Kopytin, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Psychology of the St. Petersburg State Academy of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychotherapy of Mechnikov North-Western North-Western Chairman of the Art Therapeutic Association of Russia; 2) Art-Reconstruction of Feelings in a Situation of Uncertainty, conducted by Nadezhda Antipova, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor, Practicing Psychologist, coach (national level) of the All-Russian Professional Psychotherapeutic League, Honorary Member of the Association of Psychologists of the Moscow Region, Laureate of the National Psychological Competition ‘Golden Psyche-2017’; 3) Working with Family Crises Using Author’s Metaphorical Cards and Art Therapy Techniques, conducted by Olga Loginova, art therapist, family psychologist, NLP coach, Ericksonian hypnosis specialist, author of instructions and developer of metaphorical cards; 4) The Body as a Dialogue Tool, conducted by Elena Mikhailina, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, art therapist, dance therapist of the ‘Spiritualization’ Sociocultural Center, leading psychologist, dance therapist of the ‘Lifestyle’ Charitable Foundation; 5) Sand Therapy as a Method of Self-Knowledge, hosted by Irina Fokina, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychology at the Dubna University, art therapist, practical psychologist; Figure 5. Fragments of the International Charitable Sports and Psychological Festival, October 7, 2022. Figure 6. The work of the art therapy master classes (October 7, 2022). 6) Meanings, Values, Goals: How to Find Your Own? Metaphorical Associative Maps, conducted by Aleksandra Dostatnaya, Assistant of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy of RUDN University, clinical psychologist, certified art therapist; 7) Find Your Resource: Drawing Techniques of Art Therapy, conducted by Vera Bykova, psychologist, art therapist; 8) Getting to Know Yourself, conducted by Maria Smirnova, coach, art therapist; 9) Creative Workshop: Tell a Story, conducted by Svetlana Nikitina, teacher at the ‘Imaton’ Institute of Practical Psychology, dance therapist, actress of the playback theater “Let’s see!” and playback practitioner, professional member of the Dance Movement Psychotherapy Association. At the same time, sports events (mini-golf, frisbee, volleyball, etc.) were held on the street near the main building of RUDN University, in which everyone could take part. The 10,000 Steps Campaign was also launched here. Conclusion The Organizing Committee of the Conference expresses their sincere gratitude to the co-organizers, speakers of the plenary session and participants of the sections for interesting and relevant reports as well as leading practitioners for their master classes, which were very positively received by the students and guests of the conference. The organizers are also very grateful to the volunteers (postgraduate, graduate and undergraduate students) majoring in psychology for their active participation and assistance in organizing the work of the conference. Some of the best reports presented at the International Scientific and Practical Conference on Commitment to Mental Health Issues have been published in this issue and will be published in the next issues of the RUDN Journal of Psychology and Pedagogics. The Organizing and Program Committees of the Conference decided to continue the tradition and hold the next scientific forum of the same name in an international format in October 2023. More details about the program of all the days of the forum and its results can be found on the website: http://mentalhealthforum.ru/

About the authors

Olga B. Mikhailova

Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)

Author for correspondence.
Email: mikhaylova-ob@rudn.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5046-1452

PhD in Pedagogy, is Associate Professor of the Psychology and Pedagogy Department

6 Miklukho-Maklaya St, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation

Evgeniy B. Bashkin

Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)

Email: bashkin-eb@rudn.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4118-813X

PhD in Psychology, is Head of the Psychology and Pedagogy Department

6 Miklukho-Maklaya St, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation

Nikoleta Gutvajn

Institute for Educational Research

Email: gutvajnnikoleta@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5628-3455

PhD in Pedagogy, is Chief Researcher, Director

11/III Dobrinska St, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia

Asya S. Berberyan

Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University

Email: aspsy@inbox.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0321-0161

Doctor of Psychology, Professor, is Head of the Department of Psychology

123 O. Emin St, Yerevan, 0051, Republic of Armenia

References