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Clinical Psychology and Special Education
2025. Vol. 14, no. 2, 128–142
doi:10.17759/cpse.2025140208
ISSN: 2304-0394 (online)

Features of psychological status in adolescents with multiple sclerosis

 
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Abstract

Context and relevance. The study of the psychological status of children with multiple sclerosis is an urgent problem in medical psychology, due to the prevalence of the disease, increasing its severity with age and deterioration in the mental state of patients. Methods and materials. A comprehensive psychological study was conducted on 30 adolescents with multiple sclerosis, aged 14–17 years old, with a severity of disease ranging from 1.5–2 points on the scale by EDSS. Psychological research methods were used to study the characteristics of cognitive, emotional and personal spheres. Results. The results of the study showed that aggressive behaviors, such as increased verbal aggression and feelings of guilt, are more common among adolescents with MS. Additionally, the psychological profile reveals mild anxiety (both conscious and unconscious), initial signs of decreased short-term memory and attention. In the average personality profile (MMPI questionnaire), the leading scales are “pessimism” and “autism”. The results show a similar pattern of deviations in cognitive function, emotional and personal spheres in adults, but less pronounced. This suggests the possibility of increasing emotional and personal tension and cognitive decline in psychological status of adolescents with MS, related to the further development of the disease.

General Information

Keywords: psychological status, multiple sclerosis, adolescents, cognitive functions, emotions, personality

Journal rubric: Empirical Research

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/cpse.2025140208

Funding. The research was supported by Bechtereva Institute of the Human Brain, Russian Academy of Sciences.

Received 12.07.2024

Accepted

Published

For citation: Seliverstova, N.A., Reznikova, T.N., Chikhachev, I.V., Abbasova, S.E., Lebedev, V.M. (2025). Features of psychological status in adolescents with multiple sclerosis. Clinical Psychology and Special Education, 14(2), 128–142. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/cpse.2025140208

© Seliverstova N.A., Reznikova T.N., Chikhachev I.V., Abbasova S.E., Lebedev V.M., 2025

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Nataliya A. Seliverstova, Doctor of Psychology, senior researcher at the Laboratory, N.P. Bechtereva Institute of the Human Brain, Russian Academy of Sciences, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9333-0476, e-mail: seliverstova@ihb.spb.ru

Tatyana N. Reznikova, Doctor of Medicine, Professor, Leading Researcher, Bechtereva Institute of the Human Brain of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1923-6112, e-mail: tnreznikova@ihb.spb.ru

Igor V. Chikhachev, graduate student, medical psychologist, Bechtereva Institute of the Human Brain, Russian Academy of Sciences, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2816-8708, e-mail: igor.chikhachev@ihb.spb.ru

Sevinj E. Abbasova, graduate student, medical psychologist, N.P. Bechtereva Institute of the Human Brain of Russian Academy of Sciences, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7248-9414, e-mail: sevulya.abbasova27@gmail.com

Valery M. Lebedev, head of the Department of Neurology, Bechtereva Institute of the Human Brain, Russian Academy of Sciences, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3358-5768, e-mail: lebedevvaleriy@ihb.spb.ru

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