A pilot study of younger sibling adaptation: Contributions of individual variables, daily stress, interparental conflict and older sibling’s variables

Older siblings are powerful socialization agents, playing a significant role in the sociocognitive, social, and emotional development of their younger siblings. However, there are few clues about the variables that explain younger sibling’s adaptation. The objective of this pilot study was to identify the determinants of younger siblings' adaptation and to analyze the role played by personal, sibling, family and older siblings’ variables using 50 dyads of siblings aged between 7 and 18 years. The variables considered were the sibling relationships and the maladaptation of older siblings, and individual (sex, number of siblings, extroversion, and agreeableness) and contextual variables (interparental conflict, daily stress) were controlled. Hierarchical multiple regressions provided evidence in favor of the model that analyzed the younger siblings' maladaptation to school, showing positive associations both with the older siblings' level of school maladaptation and with sibling conflict. In addition, the study highlighted the relevance of the trait of agreeableness and of family stress in the adaptation of younger siblings.

Current Issues of Medical Support of Innovative Scientific and Pedagogical Projects

The modern education system is characterized by the introduction of new, specialized, and author's programs, which are highly variable, accompanied by the intensification of the educational process, increasing the total workload, reducing physical activity, and deteriorating the structure of the daily routine of students. Such changes in the organization of the educational process lead to an increase in the level of pathological lesions, asthenoneurotic reactions, and symptoms of dysfunction of somatic systems. A particularly vulnerable category of students is gifted children, who on the one hand, experience discrimination at school due to the partial lack of differentiated learning, focus on the average student, and excessive unification of programs that do not take into account individual learning opportunities. On the other hand, intellectually gifted children showed a decrease in overall reactivity and tension of adaptation mechanisms, greater susceptibility to acute infectious diseases, the presence of autonomic disorders, hypotension and syncope, more often registered pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, musculoskeletal system, and allergies conditions than at the "average intellectuals". Therefore, this category of students needs a special approach and a deeper study of the impact of elements of the learning process on their health. Two separate areas of research have been formed by now. They are related to the study of psychological and pedagogical aspects of teaching children on innovative educational technologies, on the one hand, and the state of health of schoolchildren, on the other hand. However, only a few studies have been conducted where these two areas are combined and the direct impact of the educational process on new educational projects on disorders in morphofunctional, psychoemotional, and general health of students is determined, risk factors of the educational process are identified and recommendations for the prevention of school maladaptation are provided. Conclusion. Information analysis of scientific sources on current issues of education and medical care for gifted children and adolescents shows the interest of society in conducting further medical and pedagogical research to develop preventive measures to preserve their health. There is an urgent need for hygienic optimization of educational activities, proper regulation of innovative pedagogical technologies, development of appropriate guidelines for the prevention of school maladaptation

Evaluation of the Preventive Potential of the Technology for the Formation of Socially Significant Children Skills in the Skillful Сlass-Method

Programs and technologies for the prevention of social risks in the education system are concidered from the standpoint of an evidence-based approach. The article presents the results of approbation and analysis of the «Skillful class»-method effectiveness. This is a Russian adaptation of the Finnish Skilful Class solution-oriented program, which implements a creative and positive approach to teaching children with emotional and behavioral difficulties in the class / group. It was based on the Kids' Skills method of Ben Furman, his 15-step-program for developing children social skills. The technology has been tested at more than 20 regions platforms. Statistically significant indicators of the formation and dynamics of skills mastered by children were termed as well as other parameters that are significant for reducing risk factors of the deviant behavior. This method can serve as a tool for early prevention of social risks that appear in preschool and primary school age (school maladaptation, emotional and behavioral problems, deviations, ostracism, school bullying, conflicts).

Medical and psychological aspects of teaching academically capable and gifted children

The article analyzes the current issue of modern times, which affects the "human capital", namely gifted children. Because it is gifted children who are the potential that will always produce the tasks set before them by an advanced society. Therefore, the question of increasing the requirements for the ability of man to think outside the box, to find new problems and unusual ways to solve them is relevant. To solve this problem, many countries around the world are integrating into the search of educational mechanisms for teaching academically able children that meet the concept of meritocratic education, which involves creating the initial conditions for talented and self-motivated people, in which in the future they will be able to hold leadership positions in terms of free competition. The authors have carefully reviewed the resources on this topical issue, finding out what is giftedness, creative giftedness, cultural giftedness, the relationship between giftedness and ability. They also address the health of gifted children. It was found that this group of students is characterized by disharmonious physical development, more prone to acute infectious diseases, autonomic disorders, hypotension and syncope, somatic and allergic diseases. During the period of secondary school education, the health of gifted children deteriorates, due to both socio-economic and socio-hygienic factors. The most negative impact on the child is exerted by stress tactics, the inconsistency of teaching methods and technologies, intensification of the educational process, irrational organization of educational activities, lack of a system of work on the health-forming behavior of schoolchildren. The authors conclude that academically capable and gifted children are a separate category of students who need special medical, psychological, and pedagogical support during secondary education. Learning in specially created educational programs in the appropriate sanitary-hygienic and psychological-pedagogical conditions contributes not only to the high success of students but also to the preservation of health and prevention of school maladaptation.