Physiological and Behavioral Indicators of School Anxiety

We describe the results of a longitudinal study (2007-2012; 2013 to present), in which the regularities of the relationship between psychological and physiological indicators of children’s adaptation to the conditions of schooling are revealed. In particular, it was found that the risk of formation of school anxiety is associated with status of the child in the class position. Physiological marker of experienced anxiety in children in this risk group is cortisol in saliva samples. We revealed sensitivity of sympathoadrenal tone index to the state of anxiety in “inadequately calm” children. These students are consistently isolated in pupils group and exhibit behavioral disorders. We describe the preliminary results of three consecutive measurements of indicators of school anxiety and aggressiveness. The extent is revealed to which the risk of aggressive behavior is associated with hostility as the negative personality attitude. It was found that hostility is positively correlated with the school, self-evaluation and interpersonal anxiety of the children.

1. Berkowitz L. Agressiya [Aggression]. St. Petersburg: Neva, 2001. 512 p.
2. Enikolopov S. N. Sovremennyi terrorizm i agressivnoe povedenie [Terrorism and aggressive behavior]. In Reshetnikov M. M. (ed.) Psikhologiya i psikhopatologiya terrorizma. Gumanitarnye strategii [Psychology and psychopathology of terrorism]. Saint- Petersburg: Vostochno-Evropeiskii-Institut-Psikhoanalisa, 2004, pp. 181– 193.
3. Enikolopov S. N., Tsybulsky N. P. Psikhometricheskii analiz versii oprosnika Bassa-Perri [Psychometric analysis of Russian version of Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire]. Psikhologicheskii zhurnal [Psychological Journal], 2007, no. 1,pp. 115–124.
4. Kaplan A. Ya. Variabel’nost’ ritma serdtsa i kharakter obratnoi svyazi po rezul’tatu operatorskoi deyatel’nosti u cheloveka [Short-term variability of Heart Rate and Type of the Feedback for Results of Operator Like Activity in Humans]. Zhurnal vysshei nervnoi deyatel’nosti [Journal of Higher Nervous Activity], 1999, no. 48(6), pp. 345–350.
5. Kaigorodova N. Z. Ekologo-fiziologicheskie aspekty issledovaniya osobennostei adaptatsii pervoklassnikov k shkole. Diss. dokt. biol. nauk. [Ecological and physiological aspects of the study of adaptation of first-graders to school. Dr. Sci. (Biology) Thesis]. Barnaul, 2010. 25 p.
6. Khruleva L. V. Psikhofiziologicheskie determinanty shkol’nykh trudnostei. Diss. kand. biol. nauk. [Psychophysiological determinants of school difficulties. Ph. D. (Biology) Thesis]. Yaroslavl’, 2004. 24 p.
7. Kolesnikova I. A. Osobennosti formirovaniya zdorov’ya i fizicheskoi podgotovlennosti detei i podrostkov v period shkol’nogo obucheniya. Diss. kand. med. nauk. [Formation of health and physical hardiness children and adolescents in school. PhD. (Medicine) Thesis]. Arkhangel’sk, 2008. 24 p.
8. Malykh T. V. Variabel’nost’ serdechnogo ritma kak indikator funktsional’nykh sistem organizma detei mladshego shkol’nogo vozrasta. Diss. kand. biol. nauk. [Heart rate variability as an indicator of functional systems of the primary school children. Ph. D. (Biology) Thesis]. Izhevsk, 2005. 24 p.
9. Osnitsky A. К., Tarasova S. Yu. Psikho-fiziologicheskie pokazateli shkol’noi trevozhnosti [Psychophysiological indicators of school anxiety]. Psikhologicheskie Issledovaniya, [Psychological Studies], 2011, no. 2(16). Available at: http://psystudy.ru/index.php/eng/2011n2-16/ 466- osnitsky-tarasova16e.html (Accessed 14.02.2014).
10. Prikhozhan A. M. Psikhologiya trevozhnosti [Psychology of anxiety]. Moscow: Piter, 2009. 192 p.
11. Nordahl H. M., Wells A., Olsson C. A., Bjerkeset O. Association between abnormal psychosocial situations in childhood, generalized anxiety disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. Aust. NZ J. Psychiatry, 2010. Vol. 44(9), pp. 852–858.