Nykyopiskelijakin jännittää esiintymistä, mikä avuksi?

Abstract

Tärkein tieto: Sosiaalisten tilanteiden pelko on yleisintä nuorilla aikuisilla. Yliopisto-opiskelijoista kolmannes kokee esiintymistilanteet vaikeiksi. Osalla heistä jännittäminen saattaa haitata opintojen etenemistä. Yhteistyö opettajien, psykologien ja lääkärien kesken on tarpeen esiintymisjännityksestä johtuvien ongelmien estämiseksi ja jännittäjien auttamiseksi. Jännittämisongelmista kärsiville tulee olla tarjolla erilaisia tukimuotoja: keskustelutukea, erityiskursseja sekä ryhmä- ja yksilöterapiapalveluja. Yliopisto-opiskelijoiden moniammatillisesti ohjattu ryhmätoiminta on ollut toimiva ratkaisu. Se myös jakaa asiassa vastuuta sekä oppilaitokselle että terveydenhuollolle.

Public performance anxiety is a general phenomenon; up to 30-50% of young people report having fears related to social situations. For one third of Finnish university students, performing in public is a negatively loaded experience. If persistent, the problem may cause individual suffering and difficulties in advancing in studies. Public performance anxiety is a complex issue comprised of medical, psychological and communication skills dimensions. To prevent problems and to help those suffering from social fears and anxiety, co-operation is needed between teaching staff, psychologists and physicians. Various types of services should be made available, such as GP consultations, supportive conversations, special courses, and both group and individual therapies. Finnish universities have in recent years launched courses or group interventions for students suffering from public performance anxiety. These speech communication courses designed for anxious or shy students may be part of degree studies or entirely separate courses. Typically, the groups are led by a speech communication teacher alone or together with a psychologist. The Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) offers multi-professional short-therapy group interventions or led by psychologist alone. The main objective of group activities is to improve the students' self-esteem and self-approval. Apart from conversation, different relaxation, breathing and mental training exercises and cognitive methods are used. Experiences from these courses and group interventions have been encouraging.