SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL ADAPTATION OF ADOLESCENTS UNDER CONDITIONS OF SOCIAL INSTABILITY: THE RELATIONSHIP WITH TRAIT ANXIETY

Abstract

Socio-psychological adaptation of adolescents is an important condition for their psychological well-being and successful functioning in the educational environment. Under conditions of social instability associated with the prolonged impact of war-related events, the importance of factors determining an individual’s adaptive capacities increases, among which personal anxiety occupies a special place.

Purpose of the study – to establish the characteristics of the relationship between socio-psychological adaptation and personal anxiety of adolescents under conditions of social instability.

Methods. The study involved 71 ninth-grade students aged 14–15 years. The methodology for diagnosing socio-psychological adaptation by K. Rogers and R. Dymond and the personal anxiety scale by C. Spielberger were used. Descriptive statistics, the Kruskal–Wallis H test, post-hoc pairwise comparisons using Dunn’s test, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were applied for statistical data processing.

Results. It was established that adolescents are generally characterized by a relatively formed level of socio-psychological adaptation (59.9%) and a high prevalence of personal anxiety: a high level was identified in 56.3% of the participants. The highest mean adaptation score was recorded in Class 9-G (63.8%), whereas the lowest was recorded in Class 9-A (55.5%).

Statistically significant between-class differences were established only for the indicator of emotional comfort (H(3) = 10.212; p = 0.017). Correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant negative relationship between personal anxiety and the overall indicator of socio-psychological adaptation (rs = –0.606; p < 0.001), self-acceptance (rs = –0.552; p < 0.001), emotional comfort (rs = –0.536; p < 0.001), and acceptance of others (rs = –0.286; p < 0.05).

Conclusions. Personal anxiety is an important psychological indicator associated with socio-psychological adaptation in adolescents. A higher level of anxiety is associated with lower indicators of overall adaptation, emotional comfort, self-acceptance, and acceptance of others. The results obtained substantiate the feasibility of implementing psychological support programs aimed at reducing anxiety, developing emotional self-regulation, and strengthening adolescents’ adaptive resources under conditions of social instability.