Psychological portrait and well-being of contemporary children and adolescents

Context and relevance. Amid accelerating sociocultural transformations, there is a growing need for a scientifically grounded, up-to-date, and systematic understanding of the psychological portrait of contemporary children and adolescents. The scarcity of comprehensive empirical studies in Russian psychological and pedagogical science makes initiatives aimed at addressing this gap particularly valuable. Objective. To summarize and systematize key findings and ideas presented by participants of the session titled “The Psychological Portrait of Contemporary Children and Adolescents, Including Particularly Vulnerable Groups, and Conditions of Their Well-being,” with a focus on the interrelationship between psychological portraits and child/adolescent well-being. Program and Methods. The review is based on nine presentations delivered during the session. The underlying studies employed multi-informant approaches (assessments by children, parents, and educators), both adapted and original psychodiagnostic instruments, and analyses of large-scale interregional samples (totaling over 56,000 respondents). Particular attention was paid to emotional intelligence, academic motivation, subjective well-being, gender attitudes, and the influence of sociodemographic factors. Results. Speakers identified significant developmental shifts across age groups: decreased independence among preschoolers; declining academic motivation and emotional engagement among primary school students; and, among adolescents, the emergence of hybrid gender ideals and a non-linear relationship between emotional intelligence and sociometric status. The level of subjective well-being was shown to be closely linked to perceived safety in the home environment, family structure, proficiency in the language of instruction, and participation in civic life. Notably, official indicators (statistical data) often failed to align with children’s subjective experiences. Conclusions. The presented studies contribute to a new, practice-oriented paradigm for childhood research—one that is contextual and centered on children’s agency. They underscore the necessity of moving beyond formal well-being indicators toward incorporating children’s and adolescents’ subjective experiences and lay the groundwork for developing differentiated psychological and pedagogical support programs responsive to contemporary challenges.