PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN UNDER CONDITIONS OF PROLONGED SOCIAL STRESS

Abstract

Prolonged social stress caused by ongoing military actions has noticeably altered the emotional environment in which today's children grow up, making childhood anxiety a pivotal issue in contemporary psychological practice. Primary school children serve as highly sensitive indicators of the general emotional state of society and their families. Despite the importance of this topic, the psycho-emotional state of children in relatively stable regions, particularly in small district towns, remains under-researched. Understanding how a child's emotional state shifts under the influence of their surroundings and parental anxiety is essential for developing effective support programs.

Unlike purely theoretical studies, this article is based on practical experience implementing a diagnostic and corrective program within a real school environment. The organization of the study involved a comprehensive approach, combining analytical data questionnaires filled out by parents with direct psychological testing of children. The study aims to thoroughly examine the psychological characteristics and anxiety levels among first-graders (sampled from 38 students) under conditions of prolonged stress, identify its hidden forms, and determine the overall effectiveness of targeted corrective interventions.

The empirical results of the research, systematized in the analyzed tables, indicate a clear correlation between parental stress levels and the emotional well-being of first-graders. The diagnostic stage successfully revealed hidden forms of situational and personal anxiety that often go unnoticed in routine school observations. The practical significance of the work lies in the approbation of a developed corrective program using a set of accessible art therapy techniques, systemic elements, and body-oriented exercises. The findings confirm the feasibility of integrating such psychological techniques into the primary school educational process to stabilize students' emotional well-being and mitigate the negative impact of external social stress.