Psychological Safety Of School Environment And Adolescents’ Attitude To Life

Abstract

Psychological safety of the educational environment is a national priority since it is a prerequisite for harmonious development of a person and, ultimately, well-being of the nation. Safety of the school environment is presumed to be a major factor of psychological well-being of secondary- and high-school students; however, this dependence has not been empirically confirmed or analyzed in detail. Here, the psychological safety of the educational environment and the level of psychological well-being/ill-being were estimated in Russian adolescent school students aged 12–17 years. The adolescents psychological safety has been found to be at a satisfactory level, varying with age, whereas the level of hopelessness according to the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) is low. The indices of the general psychological safety and its constituents, including satisfaction of students with the basic features of social interactions and the level of protection against mental violence at school, have been found to be positively correlated with affirmative replies to the BHS items reflecting a positive attitude to life and negatively correlated with those reflecting a pessimistic attitude, as well as with the general hopelessness level. The findings confirm that psychological safety of the educational environment is a factor determining psychological well-being in adolescents. The results of this study are expected to be useful in organizing psychological support to adolescents at school.