[PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH RESPIRATORY TUBERCULOSIS]

The development of a biopsychosocial model of disease acquires a great practical value for modern phthisiology, which presupposes an in-depth study of the psychological and social constituents of disease as important factors of therapy optimization and an increase in the efficiency of the rehabilitative measures being implemented. The problem of psychological causes and factors associated with the occurrence of a tuberculous process in children and adolescents has been inadequately developed in phthisiology. A psychodiagnostic study was conducted in 90 patients from Moscow pediatric tuberculosis facilities. The children and adolescents with respiratory tuberculosis were ascertained to have the personality characteristics distinct them from their somatically healthy coevals: tenderness, responsibility, honesty, diligence, deliberate observance of generally accepted moral rules and regulations, inclination to moralize, anxiety, irritability, infantilism, low frustration tolerance, dependence, sensitivity, and a need for support. The revealed psychological features enhance the pathogenicity of stressors, lead to the tension of adaptive mechanisms and may contribute to the development of the disease. Psychocorrective measures aimed at expanding the behavioral range and molding self-regulation skills in these patients should be developed within the complex rehabilitation system for children and adolescents with respiratory tuberculosis, which will aid in enhancing the efficiency of their psychoemotional adaptation and preventing the recurrences of the underlying disease.