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DOI: 10.12731/2218-7405-2013-8-27
THE STUDY OF RESILIENCE OF A PERSON IN PREVENTION OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR OF TEENAGERS
Shubnikova E.G.
Purpose: to reveal interrelation between a level of resilience of a person and addictive behaviour of teenagers, to analyse resilience structure as a basic category of preventive pedagogics.
Methodology: a theoretical analysis of psychological and pedagogical literature according to the theory of resilience and addictive behaviour of teenagers; psychodiagnostics of teenagers.
Results: the resilience structure as a basic category of primary prevention of using psychoactive agents among children and youth is revealed; the interrelation between a level of resilience and behaviour strategies of a person in a difficult life situation, a level of subjective control, motivation are revealed on the basis of the theoretical and empirical analysis.
Practical implications: the system of education.
Keywords: resilience, behaviour strategies in a difficult life situation, use of psychoactive agents, addictive behaviour, prevention.
ИЗУЧЕНИЕ ЖИЗНЕСПОСОБНОСТИ ЛИЧНОСТИ В ПРОФИЛАКТИКЕ ЗАВИСИМОГО ПОВЕДЕНИЯ ПОДРОСТКОВ
Шубникова Е.Г.
Цель: выявить взаимосвязь между уровнем жизнеспособности личности и зависимым поведением подростков, проанализировать структуру жизнеспособности как базовой категории превентивной педагогики
Метод проведения работы: теоретический анализ психолого-педагогической литературы по теории жизнеспособности и зависимого поведения подростков; психодиагностика подростков.
Результаты: на основе теоретико-эмпирического анализа выявлена структура жизнеспособности как базовой категории первичной профилактики употребления психоактивных веществ среди детей и молодежи, выявлена взаимосвязь между уровнем жизнеспособности и стратегиями поведения человека в трудной жизненной ситуации, уровнем субъективного контроля, мотивацией.
Область применения результатов: система образования.
Ключевые слова: жизнеспособность, стратегии поведения в трудной жизненной ситуации, употребление психоактивных веществ, зависимое поведение, профилактика.
Despite the state and educators' measures, the level of psychoactive agents addiction is constantly growing in our country. This makes you wonder about the effectiveness of preventive addictive behaviour among children and youth again. In this regard, it is very important to study the psychological nature of addiction. In modern society people are frequently facing many difficult situations in life caused by fear, anxiety, and aggression. Modern psychological studies show that young people increasingly use unproductive behaviour strategies, e.g. psychoactive agents, to reduce tension in stressful situations. That is why, it is more important to form productive
behaviour strategies helping children and youth to resolve stressful situations and cope with adversities and difficulties confidently. As a result, the concept of «resilience» has become one of the basic categories of preventive pedagogics in our days.
The term «resilience» was first used in 2003 stuck in the English version of «resilience» (flexibility, elasticity, resistance), thanks to the international project «Methodological and Contextual Problems of Study of Children and Adolescents' Resilience».
The head of the project was M. Ungar who proposed to interpret «resilience» as a person's ability to manage his own health resources and to use his own family, society, culture in a socially acceptable way for this purpose.
However, in 1998 S. Vanishtendal considered this term in his study «Resilience» or Justified Hopes. Wounded, but not Defeated» using the English loan translation of the term «resilience». By this term, the author denotes the fact that the ability of individuals and social systems can deal effectively with complexity of life and lead a full-blooded life in difficult conditions. Resilience means not only the achievement of success in life, but also his achievement in a socially approved way which is agreed with accepted moral norms [1, p.13].
A.V. Makhnach, A. I. Laktionova suggest considering the resilience to be an individual's capacity to social adaptation and self-regulation that is a management mechanism of his resources: health, emotional, motivational and strong-willed, cognitive spheres in the context of social, cultural norms and environmental conditions [2, p.14].
In her social-psychological concept A. A. Nesterova says that the resilience of a person is a person's system quality characterizing the unity of the individual and social-psychological abilities to implement his resources, to use productive strategies of behaviour in stressful situations. Such a behaviour provides a person with achievements of a pre-crisis level of functioning or determines the post-crisis personal growth.
A. A. Nesterova considers the resilience to be a firm disposition of a personality which includes the following components: 1) the ability to activity and initiative; 2) the ability to self-motivation and achievement; 3) emotional control and self-regulation; 4) positive cognitive installations and flexibility of thinking; 5) self-esteem; 6) social competence; 7) the adaptive protective-coping strategies of behaviour; 8) ability to organize the time and plan the future [4, p.15].
It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the resilience, in contrast to the strategy of coping behaviour (coping behavior), implies not only overcoming difficulties and returning to the same state, but also progress, movement through the obstacles to a new phase of life. However, we think that the ability to deal effectively with complexity of life is one of the most important components of resilience.
As a result, N. A. Sirota and V. M.Yaltonskiy's research is of a particular interest. They have developed three theoretical behaviour models of healthy people and drug, alcohol addict people in difficult life situations: 1) a model of adaptive functional coping behaviour; 2) a model of pseudoadaptive disfunctional coping behaviour; 3) a model of passive disfunctional disadaptive coping behaviour. Scientists give a detailed description of each model which includes the following components: 1) used coping strategies of behaviour; 2) the direction of motivation; 3) the level of development of personal and environmental resources (possibilities) for overcoming difficult life situations (level of intelligence, self-concept, locus of control, social competence, empathy, a value-motivational structure of personality, social support, etc.) [5, p. 67].
These characteristics of the models of adaptive behaviour in difficult situations ensure the resilience of an individual. It includes not only the strategy of behaviour and cognitive assessment of the situation, which is the basis of further «movement towards a new phase of life», but also necessary personal-environmental resources. In our opinion, the model of adaptive coping behaviour reflects the structure of resilience completely.
Taking the study of modern preventive approaches and models of behaviour in difficult situations into consideration, N. A. Sirota and V. M. Yaltonskiy developed the conceptual model of coping psycho-prophylaxis of psychosocial disorders in adolescence. According to the authors, a change in the strategy of a person's behaviour, a healthy lifestyle, increase of personal and environmental resources, i.e. formation of resilience, should be a basis of preventive programmes.
To confirm the theoretical conclusions, we have studied the level of resilience and its structural components of students AU CHR NPO «Vocational school # 18, Cheboksary» in the Chuvash Republic. The study involved 50 students at the age of 17 from the 1-st course. There were 10 nicotine addict students among them.
At the first stage of ascertaining experiment we studied the ^ping behaviour of students as it is one of the important components of resilience. We used the technique of «Coping Behaviour in Stressful Situations» (CBSS). It is T. L. Krukova's adapted variant of N. Andler and D. Parker's technique (Coping Inventory for Stressful Situation (CISS)). There are three main (basic) styles of coping behaviour based on the technique of multidimensional measure of coping. They are: 1) problem-focused coping (aimed at solution of problems); 2) emotional-focused coping (focused on emotions); 3) coping focused on avoidance (including distraction and social diversion). We found that low indicators of problem-focused coping behaviour or a high level of coping focused on avoidance are markers of pseudoadaptive coping behaviour of a person. A combination of both indicators are signs of disadaptive behaviour in difficult situations.
Only 16 students (32% of subjects) revealed the adaptive behaviour which is characterized by purposeful elimination or change of the impact of a stressful situation. They tried to solve problems with the help of their resources.
24 students (48% of subjects) revealed pseudoadaptive behaviour. They tried to avoid contacts with the surrounding reality and escape from solutions of difficult life situations. They are characterized by avoidance of failures, wish to stay within the changing social situation accepting it passively and adapting to it.
The experimental data show that 10 students (20% of subjects) have disadaptive behaviour. They revealed a low level of problem-focused coping and a high level of coping focused on avoidance. It means that they are not able to identify the problem and to find alternative solutions to deal effectively with stressful situations. It leads to disruption of both mental and physical health. The result of this coping behaviour is maladjustment and social isolation on the basis of inefficient functioning of the coping strategies and coping resources.
At the second stage of the experiment we made a questionnaire «Level of Subjective Control» (LSC). The personal questionnaire is designed to diagnose internali-ty-externality, i.e. the degree of readiness of a person to take responsibility for what is happening with him and around him.
The test students have a low level of subjective control (76% of subjects). According to the scale of internality in the field of achievements, the majority of students (64% of subjects) have low parameters. According to the scale of internality in the field of failures, students have the 100% lowest score. It proves that adolescents are not ready and do not want to take responsibility for their actions. They are willing to attribute events that are happening to them to the circumstances as well.
At the third stage of ascertaining experiment we had a test-questionnaire for measuring motivation of achievements of A. Mekhrabian. It is intended for the diagnostics of two generalized stable motives of a person: a motive of desire to succeed and a motive of avoiding failures. It is very important to find out which of these two motives is dominant. The motivation of achievement means overcoming obstacles and gaining much success, self-improving, competing with others, winning, realizing talents and thereby improving self-esteem.
The motivation of avoiding failures is very popular among the students (48% of subjects). The previous results of the questionnaire «The Level of Subjective Control» proved it. If students have a low level of subjective control, their behaviour will be aimed at avoiding failures, unwillingness to take any responsibility.
At the fourth stage of ascertaining experiment a test of assessing the resilience of children and adolescents was held. Created by a single standard within the framework of the international research project the test «Child and Youth Resilience Measure» (CYRM) consisted of two parts: «national» and «international». The authors of the national part were A. I. Laktionova and A.V. Makhnach. In the present work only national part of this test consisting of 15 questions was used. With the help of this technique it is possible to study the resilience as an individual person's ability to manage his own resources. This technique allows to assess the level of resilience development of adolescents (high, medium, low).
A high level is the resilience based on intrapsychic and interpsychic resources. A high level of resilience is correlated with a high level of self-motivation, activity, developed system of life goal setting. A high level of resilience predetermines a proactive approach towards the life, in everyday decisions, in an attempt to resolve a difficult life situation. If characterized emotionally resilience is a sense of life satisfaction as it is of a high enough standard and it gives you what you need and you are content with life. There is a high level of positive thinking, optimistic perception of what is happening, an ability to find any sense and value even in the negative events. The resilience is also related to the social competence of a person, his ability to build positive relations with others, to seek and find social support in crisis life situations. A person begins using a constructive adaptive-coping strategies of overcoming, and he keeps self-esteem and an ability to construct his life.
A medium level is the resilience based on intrapsychic and interpsychic resources. These are people who can develop successfully in habitual situations, but they require the assistance in crisis life situations. In case of overcoming they need encouragement and assistance of relatives and supporters.
A low level of the resilience is characterized by helplessness, low adaptability and productivity of life. These are people whose reliance on their own resources is reduced to a minimum.
Only 12 students (24% of subjects) have a high level of development of resiliense. It shows their willingness to get over life difficulties, to adapt to environment, to counter its negative influence. 28 people (56% of subjects) have a medium level of development of resilience. These are adolescents who develop successfully in habitual situations, but they require the assistance in crisis life situations. 10 students (20% of subjects) have a low level of resilience, they are characterized by low indicators of social adaptability and productivity of life.
We compared the results of students according to the first three psychodiagnostic techniques and found out the following levels of resilience: 16 test subjects with adaptive ^ping behaviour revealed a high level of resilience development. These students showed motivation of desire for success. They have a high and medium levels of subjective control.
24 students with pseudoadaptive ^ping behaviour revealed medium and low levels of resilience development. This test group including 10 students have a low level of subjective control, the other group of 9 people have the motivation of desire to avoid failures.
10 test subjects with disadaptive behaviour show a low level of resilience development. There is not any life motivation among these students. They reveal a low level of subjective control. It is those people who are nicotine addict.
Thus, the results of our research have proved our hypothesis that a high level of person's resilience is largely dependent on the productive strategies of coping behaviour, a high level of subjective control and motivation to succeed as well. Teens, having a low level of resilience, prone to various kinds of addictions. They use unproductive strategies of coping behaviour. Such adolescents are characterized by a low level of subjective control, lack of motivation.
Our experimental work has demonstrated that the formation of a high level of resilience should be the essential part of preventive addictive behaviour. It must be done on the basis of changing behaviour strategies, developing a healthy lifestyle, increasing personal and environmental resources. Formation of resilience is the main
task of primary prevention of using psychoactive agents among children and adolescents. As a result of it, the further development of the theory of formation of the resilience of the personality is necessary as it is the prevention of addictive behaviour of children and youth within the framework of preventive education.
The study was sponsored by RGNF (project № 13-06-00145а)
References
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2. Laktionova A.I. Vestnik Moskovskogo gosudarstvennogo oblastnogo
universiteta [Bulletin of the Moscow State Regional University]. no 3 (2010): 11-15 p.
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5. Sirota N.A., Yaltonskiy V.M., Viderman N.S. Profilaktika narkomanii u podrostkov: ot teorii kpraktike [Drug Addiction Prevention among Teenagers: from the theory to practice]. Moscow: Genesis, 2001. 216 р.
Список литературы
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DATA ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shubnikova Ekaterina Gennadyevna, Docent of Department of Psychology and Social Pedagogics, Ph.D. in Pedagogical Sciences, Docent
Chuvash State Pedagogical University
38, K. Marx St., Cheboksary, Chuvash Republic, 428000, Russia e-mail: [email protected]
ДАННЫЕ ОБ АВТОРЕ
Шубникова Екатерина Геннадьевна, доцент кафедры психологии и социальной педагогики, кандидат педагогических наук, доцент Чувашский государственный педагогический университет ул. К. Маркса, д. 38, г. Чебоксары, Чувашская Республика, 428000, Россия e-mail: [email protected] SPIN- code in SCIENCE INDEX: 3602-1572
