Safety Criteria Differences of Learners with Mental Disorders in Early and Late Adolescence as Compared to Normotypic Peers

Abstract

Introduction. Current psychological and pedagogical research considers the problem of safe behavior formation among students of different ages. It makes an attempt to establish the conditions for psychological safety type’s formation. The aim of the article is to identify readiness for safe behavior, understanding and interpretation of dangerous situations in various life spheres among early and la te adolescents with mental disorders. Materials and Methods. The authors selected a questionnaire test by V. G. Maralov, which allows establishing types of the attitude of an individual in a dangerous situation (adequate, anxious, ignoring, uncertain); the “Scale of Subjective Well-being” screening method by G. Perue-Badu adapted by M. V. Sokolova for measuring the emotional component of subjective well-being, and the authors’ method for studying the perceptions among early and late adolescents with mental disorders and their normotypic peers of various types of danger (physical, social and informational). To confirm the hypothesis of the research a two-way variance analysis was done (Age and Mental Disorders factors). Results. The authors identified that neurotypical early and late adolescents are able to recognize dangerous situations and feelings of such situations’ participants, predict the consequences of these dangers and suggest relevant ways to avoid them. Age impacts the development of the ability to recognize all types of dangerous situations among students with mental disorders (in late adolescence it is higher than in early one). Age influences such an indicator of subjective well-being as health self-assessment: it is higher in late adolescence than in early one. Students with mental disorders have a lower degree of ability to recognize physical and social environment danger, to predict and avoid various dangers than their neurotypical peers. Mental disorders also bear on such indicator as “Signs that com e with psychoemotional symptoms”. Discussion and Conclusion. The article shall be of interest to researchers studying the problem of the safe behavior of young people in various situations. The results of the study can be used in further studies of the ability to recognize, predict and avoid dangerous situations by adolescents and young people with normotypic development and mental disorders.