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Social Psychology and Society
2025. Vol. 16, no. 4, 109–126
doi:10.17759/sps.2025160407
ISSN: 2221-1527 / 2311-7052 (online)

Difficult life situations of students in various social and life contexts

 
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Abstract

Context and relevance. Modern student youth is a group of high psychological vulnerability due to high social pressure and contextual tensions caused by global and local threats. Identification of difficult life situations (DLS) of modern students is necessary for well-organized support of their psychological well-being.
Objective. To investigate the frequency and patterns of DLS observed by representatives of student youth from different life contexts.
Research question. Which DLS are identified by the students under the tensions and threats of varying intensity and nature?
Methods and materials. 689 students from Moscow and Lugansk participated in the study (Mage = 19,6; SDage = 2,3; 478 females, 206 males). The study participants formed six groups, depending on the current life circumstances: the COVID-19 pandemic, students of the social lifting group, students with relatives in the special military operation (SMO), students studying in the frontline zone, students studying in the frontline zone and having relatives in SMO, and SMO participants. The content of the DLS was measured using the checklist "Difficult life situations of modern youth in education (DLS-stud)".
Results. It is shown that the frequencies of almost all DLS clusters differ in the studied groups; at the same time, each of them has its own specific DLS pattern. The highest frequencies of DLS severity were observed in the group of pandemic students, and the lowest frequencies – in the group of SMO participants. As the context of life approaches the SMO realities, the DLS patterns change: priorities of routine student life are replaced by fear of losses, and lack of resources is mentioned less often.
Conclusions. There is no direct relationship between the content and intensity of the stress experienced and the perception of difficulties in current life. The question is raised about additional variables mediating the relationship between objective stress and subjective sensitivity to difficulties. There is no unique connection between the content of the life context of students and the observed DLS. The question is raised about additional variables mediating the relationship between the objective circumstances of life and susceptibility to DLS.

General Information

Keywords: difficult life situation, students, stress, pandemic, special military operation (SMO)

Journal rubric: Empirical Research

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/sps.2025160407

Funding. This article is an output of a research project implemented as part of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University).

Received 12.05.2025

Revised 20.08.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Khodakovskaya, E.N., Nartova-Bochaver, S.K. (2025). Difficult life situations of students in various social and life contexts. Social Psychology and Society, 16(4), 109–126. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/sps.2025160407

© Khodakovskaya E.N., Nartova-Bochaver S.K., 2025

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Emilia N. Khodakovskaya, Psychologist, HSE University, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3971-6144, e-mail: ekhodakovskaia@hse.ru

Sofya K. Nartova-Bochaver, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Head of the Laboratory for Psychology of salutogenic environment, Department of Psychology, HSE University, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8061-4154, e-mail: s-nartova@yandex.ru

Contribution of the authors

Emilia N. Khodakovskaya — conducting the research; data collection and analysis; annotation, writing and design of the manuscript; control over the research.

Sofya K. Nartova-Bochaver — ideas; planning of the research; application of statistical methods for data analysis; visualization of research results; annotation, writing and design of the manuscript.

All authors participated in the discussion of the results and approved the final text of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics statement

The study was reviewed and approved by the Commission for the ethical evaluation of empirical research projects of the department of psychology of the HSE university (report no 1, 2024/02/01).

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