PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE AND TYPOLOGICAL PERSONALITY FEATURES OF CHILDREN RESIDENTS OF RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Child Psychology
• Radiological Health

Background:

• The Chornobyl catastrophe resulted in widespread radioactive contamination, impacting territories and populations.
• Long-term psycho-emotional effects on children residing in contaminated zones require thorough investigation.
• Understanding personality typologies associated with environmental stressors is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psycho-emotional state of children living in radioactively contaminated territories.
• To characterize personality typologies in children affected by the Chornobyl catastrophe.
• To assess these effects in the remote period following the Chornobyl disaster.

Main Methods:

• Studied 96 children (12-17 years) residing in territories with 137Cs soil contamination (>185 kBq/m-2).
• Assessed psycho-emotional status using the «non-existent animal» test (anxiety, aggression, exhaustion).
• Measured incorporated 137Cs levels using a whole-body counter.

Main Results:

• 100% of children showed anxiety, 62.5% aggression, and 59.37% exhaustion.
• Five distinct psycho-emotional groups emerged, with specific personality traits identified for each.
• Anxiety was more prevalent in girls; aggression in boys. No link found between 137Cs levels and psycho-emotional state.

Conclusions:

• Children in Chornobyl-affected areas exhibit significant psycho-emotional distress, including anxiety, aggression, and exhaustion.
• Distinct personality profiles correlate with different symptom complex combinations.
• Internalized radioactive cesium-137 levels did not correlate with the observed psycho-emotional disturbances.