Childhood: The Paradoxes of Autonomy

The article problematizes the possibility of developing agency in childhood. It is shown that the usually non-differentiable constructs "agency" and "autonomy" psychologically represent fundamentally different actions. The basis for their distinction is the nature of the individual's interaction with the social structure. Autonomy is an integration into an existing structure, the acquisition of skills for independent functioning in it. Agency, on the other hand, involves the transformation of the structure and "crossing the border of semantic fields," according to Yu.M. Lotman. There have been several important "turns" in childhood research over the past decades. Initially, childhood was considered as a preparation for adulthood, which was implemented in fundamentally hierarchical forms of education. Since about the 1970s, children have been talked about as potential actors in the social world. And since the beginning of the XXI century, the discussion of independence (autonomy) has been gaining momentum, as part of which they distinguish the ability to act independently of others and act in accordance with their goals and beliefs.  The authors distinguish agency as overcoming the boundaries characterizing the structure, and autonomy as actions within the initially defined boundaries. They consider productive action (event) to be the mechanism of agency as a situation—changing action, and as a way of "learning" agency - a trial, including a game.  Examples of statements by teenagers and young people that can be qualified as specific to agency, independence and volitional action are given

Behavioral Norms and School Climate Questionnaire

Socio-psychological characteristics of the school environment are a significant factor in the formation of students’ values, behavioral patterns, ways of relationships constructing, as well as expectations from the future. The paper describes the process of developing and validating the Behavioral Norms and School Climate Questionnaire, which allows to assess the subjectively perceived quality of the school environment from the perspective of students’ psychological safety and well-being. The questionnaire differs from the other resembling tools primarily by its creating procedure: the expertise of practicing psychologists working with teenagers in Russian schools was the basis for its development. The questionnaire includes 22 items that make up three scales: “Deviant Behavior”, “School Well-being” and “Subjective Unsafety”. The sample included 4,776 respondents. The survey involved schoolchildren aged 9 to 18 from more than 35 regions of Russia. Confirmatory factor analysis and convergent validity analysis have shown that the questionnaire has a three-factor structure and is characterized by reliability and validity, allowing it to be used for research in the field of educational psychology. It can be used in screening studies to assess the school climate and the subjective well-being of schoolchildren. Also, this tool can be used in the designing of preventive programs and interventions aimed at reducing anxiety and aggressive behavior and improving the quality of relationships within the school community, and to assess the effectiveness of the impact. The questionnaire is characterized by conciseness and ease of use. It expands the possibilities of studying the contribution of the school climate to the effectiveness of the educational process and the students’ social adjustment in the educational environment

Initial psychometric properties of the Parental Stress Scale examined using a sample of Russian mothers

Parental stress is defined as a personal response to stressors associated with being a parent. In recent studies, parental stress has been viewed as a component of normative parenting. The purpose of this study was to collect initial evidence of the construct validity and reliability of the Russian version of the 18-item Parental Stress Scale (PSS) using a sample of mothers of Russian primary school students. The results are the first wave of a longitudinal study. Mothers (n = 900) of fourth-grade students participated in the study and filled out an online survey. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the PSS on the Russian mothers indicated two factors: parental stress and parental satisfaction, with good estimates of reliability. The PERMA-Profiler questionnaire was used to examine the convergent and divergent validity of the PSS. The results revealed significant correlations between parental stress and satisfaction and different aspects of well-being among the respondents. The initial investigation of this Russian adaptation of the PSS provides evidence of its reliability and validity. Despite the limitations and the need for further research, this version of the PSS can be recommended for use in studies on modern parenting as well as in psychological support, education, and development of programs promoting positive parent–child relationships by targeting parental needs

Data_Sheet_1_Education, relationships, and place: life choices in the narratives of university master students.docx

Choice is one of the most roughly defined concepts in contemporary social sciences. Previous studies have elucidated the factors that influence young people’s choices in different life situations. However, it is still unclear how young people evaluate these choices and how they integrate them into their biographies. In this study, we examine the narratives of 30 first-year master’s students at HSE University with regard to two categories of life choices: those that they perceive as fortunate and those that they perceive as unfortunate. Using a written online survey, the data was collected in the spring of 2022. To categorize the different decision kinds, thematic analysis was applied. Overall, we discovered that narratives about the life choices made by master students concentrated on education, relationships and place.</p

Un estudio comparativo de la victimización en jóvenes durante el confinamiento por COVID-19 en México y Rusia

This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic school closures on peer victimization in Mexico and Russia. In addition to effects on academic performance and attendance, the lockdowns interfered with usual peer socialization experiences and interactions. We examined the effects on the problem of bullying victimization. Since all measures were originally in English, factorial invariance was established at the outset. Comparisons by country for frequency of victimization, type of victimization, harmfulness of the victimization experiences, location of the victimization, and relationships to the perpetrator, were calculated. Although the countries were similar in many ways, significant differences were detected on several items; one notable difference was the relationship to the perpetrator. In Mexico, the most common bully was siblings, while in Russia, the highest rank was for parents. Significant differences reflected the cultural contexts of each country; these cultural influences are discussed.Este estudio investigó cómo el cierre de escuelas por la pandemia de COVID-19 impactó en la victimización entre pares en México y Rusia. Además de los efectos en el rendimiento académico y la asistencia, la cuarentena interfirió con las interacciones comunes de socialización entre pares. Se examinaron los efectos en la victimización por acoso escolar. Debido a que todas las medidas estaban originalmente en inglés, se estableció la invariancia factorial de las medidas. Se calcularon comparaciones por país para la frecuencia de la victimización, el tipo de victimización, lo dañino de las experiencias de victimización, el lugar de la victimización y la relación con el perpetrador. Aunque los países eran similares en muchos aspectos, se detectaron diferencias significativas en varios elementos; una diferencia notable fue la relación con el perpetrador. En México, los acosadores más comunes fueron los hermanos y hermanas, mientras que en Rusia fueron los progenitores. Las diferencias significativas reflejaron los contextos culturales de cada país; estas influencias culturales son discutidas

Stress and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic among martial arts athletes – a cross-cultural study

Background and Study Aims: Success in sports among athletes on a similar level of skill can depend on individual differences in experienced stress and coping strategies. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many areas of life, including sports. The aim of the current study was to verify two hypotheses: (H1) emotional tension, external stress, and intrapsychic stress among martial arts athletes will be significantly higher during the height of the pandemic than in the pre-pandemic period; (H2) martial arts athletes will less frequently use problem-focused strategies of coping with stress, such as active coping and planning, during the height of the pandemic. Materials and Methods: The study used the Perception of Stress Questionnaire measuring the following dimensions of stress: emotional tension, external stress, and intrapsychic stress. Coping strategies were measured with the Brief COPE questionnaire distinguishing 14 coping strategies. Seven hundred and eighty-one athletes (including 116 martial arts athletes) from Poland, Romania, and Slovakia took part in the study in the pre-pandemic period. During the height of the pandemic, athletes from Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Spain took part in the study (n = 1032, including 396 martial arts athletes). Results: Higher levels of emotional tension, external stress, and intrapsychic stress were observed among Polish and Romanian martial arts athletes in the pre-pandemic period. Stress levels were higher before the pandemic than during its peak, when the lowest levels of emotional tension and external stress were reported by martial arts athletes in Romania, and the highest – in Lithuania and Spain. On the other hand, the lowest levels of intrapsychic stress were reported by martial arts athletes in Poland, and the highest – in Lithuania. Key gender-dependent strategies of coping with stress were identified. Male and female martial arts athletes used denial, focus on and venting of emotions, substance use, and acceptance. Additionally, men used self-blame and women used behavioural disengagement. Conclusions: The effects of the pandemic do not involve an increase in subjectively perceived psychological stress among martial arts athletes from countries variously affected by the pandemic. The use of maladaptive coping strategies – denial, substance use, venting negative emotion etc. – allows for lowering the subjectively experienced stress (the emotional tension, external stress and intrapsychic stress) of martial arts athletes. It was the use of these strategies which facilitated lower stress levels. The second hypothesis, that martial arts athletes will less frequently use problem-focused strategies of coping with stress, such as active coping and planning, during the height of the pandemic, was confirmed

Stress and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic among martial arts athletes – a cross-cultural study

Background and Study Aims: Success in sports among athletes on a similar level of skill can depend on individual differences in experienced stress and coping strategies. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many areas of life, including sports. The aim of the current study was to verify two hypotheses: (H1) emotional tension, external stress, and intrapsychic stress among martial arts athletes will be significantly higher during the height of the pandemic than in the pre-pandemic period; (H2) martial arts athletes will less frequently use problem-focused strategies of coping with stress, such as active coping and planning, during the height of the pandemic. Materials and Methods: The study used the Perception of Stress Questionnaire measuring the following dimensions of stress: emotional tension, external stress, and intrapsychic stress. Coping strategies were measured with the Brief COPE questionnaire distinguishing 14 coping strategies. Seven hundred and eighty-one athletes (including 116 martial arts athletes) from Poland, Romania, and Slovakia took part in the study in the pre-pandemic period. During the height of the pandemic, athletes from Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Spain took part in the study (n = 1032, including 396 martial arts athletes). Results: Higher levels of emotional tension, external stress, and intrapsychic stress were observed among Polish and Romanian martial arts athletes in the pre-pandemic period. Stress levels were higher before the pandemic than during its peak, when the lowest levels of emotional tension and external stress were reported by martial arts athletes in Romania, and the highest – in Lithuania and Spain. On the other hand, the lowest levels of intrapsychic stress were reported by martial arts athletes in Poland, and the highest – in Lithuania. Key gender-dependent strategies of coping with stress were identified. Male and female martial arts athletes used denial, focus on and venting of emotions, substance use, and acceptance. Additionally, men used self-blame and women used behavioural disengagement. Conclusions: The effects of the pandemic do not involve an increase in subjectively perceived psychological stress among martial arts athletes from countries variously affected by the pandemic. The use of maladaptive coping strategies – denial, substance use, venting negative emotion etc. – allows for lowering the subjectively experienced stress (the emotional tension, external stress and intrapsychic stress) of martial arts athletes. It was the use of these strategies which facilitated lower stress levels. The second hypothesis, that martial arts athletes will less frequently use problem-focused strategies of coping with stress, such as active coping and planning, during the height of the pandemic, was confirmed