The paper reveals the impact of psychological safety of educational environment on the mental health of its subjects, particularly adolescents. The features of the educational environment that is psychologically safe for mental development and health are revealed. It is found that psychological safety of education, providing microsocial environment free from psychological abuse, determining its reference and satisfying the basic needs in personal and confidential communication, defines a dynamic balance between the individual and the social environment in the direction of improving mental health. The structural indicators of mental health of adolescents, related to safety estimates of the educational environment, are described. The psychotechnologies that provide psychological safety of the educational environment and are aimed at maintaining the mental health of adolescents, are mentioned. It is determined that psychological safety can be a qualitative characteristic that unites the psychological resources of the educational environment. It can be one of the reasons for creating variable models of psychological service in school, the essence of which is emphasis on the development and support of students’ mental health resources.
For citation:Baeva I.A. Mental health of adolescents. How to support it?. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie = Psychological Science and Education, 2012. Vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 11–17. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)
References
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Information About the Authors
Irina A. Baeva, Doctor of Psychology, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Education, Professor of the Department of Developmental Psychology and Education, Head of the research laboratory “Psychological safety and culture in education.” Director of the educational master's program "Psychological safety in education and social interaction", Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, St.Petersburg, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2457-8221, e-mail: irinabaeva@mail.ru