Self-acceptance and social support of younger students with different levels of stress
AbstractThis study posits a correlation in younger school children between high levels of current stress and reduced self-acceptance, as well as between an increase in current stress and decreased satisfaction with emotional and instrumental support. The respondents were 131 pupils aged 8 to 12 years from years 3 and 4 of a school in the Moscow region. Methodologically, the study relied on the Bazhin-Etkinds colour relationship test, which helped analyse the ranks of preferred colours associated with the concept of ‘self’ and the categories of ‘self-acceptance’, ‘self-rejection’, ‘positive evaluation’, and ‘negative evaluation’. It also employed the F-SozU K-22 questionnaire in the version proposed by Kholmogorova and Petrova to determine satisfaction and types of social support. The Perceived Stress Scale — Children (PSS-C) was used to measure current stress in children. The study showed that the need for instrumental support among younger school children increases with the intensification of stress. Emotional support and social integration in stressful situations often prove ineffective, which can be attributed to insufficient support from family and friends and the fact that children experiencing intense stress narrow their circle of contacts, thereby limiting support from others.