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Material and Methods. The study included 110 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years. Out of them 30 children had idiopathic scoliosis, and 20-grade III-IV dysplastic scoliosis. The control group consisted of 30 adolescents without severe chronic diseases, and 30with rheumatoid arthritis. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) and the Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Test were used in the study. Results. Analysis of alexithymia severity levels in adolescent groups showed that high and middle levels of alexithymia prevailed in children with idiopathic scoliosis. Adolescents with psychosomatic disorders and idiopathic scoliosis had difficulties in identifying their own emotional experiences and related uncomfortable bodily sensations, including muscular tension. Conclusion. Adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis and their peers with psychosomatic disorders are characterized by greater severity of alexithymic features as compared to their healthy peers and adolescents with dysplastic scoliosis.

Objective. To analyze personal resources in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis at the stage of preparation for surgery.Material and Methods. The study involved 29 adolescents aged 12–17 years (7 boys and 22 girls) with grade III–IV idiopathic scoliosis. The survey was conducted within the first days of admission. The control group consisted of 30 adolescents aged 12–17 years without serious somatic diseases. The following diagnostic methods were used: analysis of medical records (case histories), semi-structured interview to assess the severity of traumatic experiences in children and adolescents, the Life Style Index questionnaire, the Coping Strategies Questionnaire, a self-assessment scale, and self-test questionnaire.Results. In adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis, events associated with the disease and preparation for surgery are accompanied by extreme level experiences manifested in medium and medium-high values of post-traumatic stress. Moderate symptoms of avoidance, hyperarousal and obsessive reproduction of traumatic episodes predominate in the structure of stress. Positive self-attitude indicators contribute to the activation of effective coping strategies and can be considered as an adaptive personal resource in a difficult life situation associated with a serious illness and the upcoming surgery.Conclusion. Understanding of personal resources that contribute to the formation of effective coping behavior in a difficult life situation associated with the disease and complex surgical treatment will optimize psychological preparation of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis for surgery.

The approach to the healing process of idiopathic scoliosis in terms of the biopsychosocial model of disease, which involves consideration of factors of biological, social, psychological nature, is reviewed. Factors of a psychological nature provide adaptive behavior of the patient in the hospital, and coordinated participation of various specialists in the treatment and rehabilitation of the patient in a situation of complicated treatment. Idiopathic scoliosis is a disease that is accompanied with physical and moral suffering and defines the conditions of mental development and functioning of sick children and their parents in a situation of progressive disease. Under these conditions, an important factor in coping with the situation of the disease and the successful rehabilitation treatment is harmonious attitude of the sick child to the disease. Personal problems of parents of sick children, manifested in their disharmonious attitude to the disease, reduce the adaptive capacity of children in hospital. In this connection, it is necessary to perform participation of clinical psychologists who provide the necessary information concerning the interactions of medical staff with patients and their parents on the stages of orthopedic treatment by doctors and other staff, as well as to provide the necessary psychological support for sick children and their parents.