FEATURES OF SCHOOL ANXIETY IN ADOLESCENTS UNDER CONDITIONS OF WAR

Abstract

The article presents the results of an empirical study of the psychological characteristics of school anxiety among adolescents under the conditions of martial law in Ukraine. The relevance of the study is determined by the increased psycho-emotional burden on students caused by the prolonged impact of wartime stressors, which complicate the processes of learning and socialization. Theoretical approaches to understanding anxiety as a psycho-emotional state and its specific manifestations in the educational environment are identified. The study was conducted on a sample of 40 students aged 10–12 years enrolled in lyceums in Kyiv. The Phillips School Anxiety Test was used to assess the overall level of anxiety and its structural components, including social stress, frustration of the need for achievement, fear of self-expression, fear of knowledge testing situations, fear of not meeting others’ expectations, low physiological resistance to stress, and problems in relationships with teachers. It was found that the overall level of school anxiety among adolescents is relatively low; however, certain components demonstrate elevated values. The dominance of fear related to knowledge testing situations, fear of not meeting others’ expectations, and difficulties in relationships with teachers was identified, indicating increased sensitivity of adolescents to academic evaluation and social control. The article presents the results of an empirical study of the psychological characteristics of school anxiety among adolescents under the conditions of martial law in Ukraine. The relevance of the study is determined by the increased psycho-emotional burden on students caused by the prolonged impact of wartime stressors, which complicate the processes of learning and socialization. Theoretical approaches to understanding anxiety as a psycho-emotional state and its specific manifestations in the educational environment are identified. The study was conducted on a sample of 40 students aged 10–12 years enrolled in lyceums in Kyiv. The Phillips School Anxiety Test was used to assess the overall level of anxiety and its structural components, including social stress, frustration of the need for achievement, fear of self-expression, fear of knowledge testing situations, fear of not meeting others’ expectations, low physiological resistance to stress, and problems in relationships with teachers. It was found that the overall level of school anxiety among adolescents is relatively low; however, certain components demonstrate elevated values. The dominance of fear related to knowledge testing situations, fear of not meeting others’ expectations, and difficulties in relationships with teachers was identified, indicating increased sensitivity of adolescents to academic evaluation and social control.