Cognitive predictors of students’ perception of environmental and epidemic health threats during wartime

The aim of the study was to examine the influence of cognitive predictors on students’ perception of environmental and epidemic health threats during wartime. The following methods were used to identify cognitive predictors: the “ Questionnaire on Worldview Plasticity”, the “ Post-traumatic Cognitions Questionnaire”, and the short version of the “Sense of coherence” questionnaire. A specialised diagnostic framework was developed to investigate specific structural components of the psychological readiness of participants in the educational process to counter environmental and epidemic threats. The study sample consisted of 502 respondents, with a mean age of 20 years: women (80.3%), men (18.1%), and other genders (1.6%). Data collection was conducted using Google Forms during the spring-autumn period of 2025. Regression analysis was applied for statistical data processing. It was found that worldview and cognitive-emotional predictors play a significant role in shaping students’ attitudes towards environmental and epidemic challenges. The results of the regression analysis demonstrated that negative beliefs about the world are the dominant factor affecting mental health (R2 = 0.46; t = 0.51; p < 0.001), whereas a sense of coherence (t = -0.04; p = 0.026) functions as a protective factor. The perception of environmental threats is more strongly mediated by such cognitive predictors as critical thinking and plasticity. The leading role of additional cognitive filters through which students assess the level of danger posed by epidemic challenges is played by worldview predictors such as idealism and principledness. The resulting regression model demonstrated the complex dynamics of interaction between cognitive and resource-related parameters of students’ psychological resilience to global challenges. A tendency towards self-reproach may act as a mediator that intensifies anxiety concerning one’s physical condition in adverse environmental and epidemic circumstances. It was established that negative beliefs about the world are a key factor increasing the vulnerability of young people’s mental health to environmental challenges, while a sense of coherence serves as a “protective” factor in counteracting environmental and epidemic threats among participants in the educational process