Analysis of coping strategies of adolescents with delinquent behavior as a factor of improving psychological and educational support for students

Introduction. The authors investigate the problem of improving psychological and educational support for adolescents with delinquent behavior. The purpose of the article is to analyze coping strategies of adolescents with delinquent behavior as a factor of improving psychological and educational support for students. Materials and Methods. The theoretical framework of the research includes the following methodological approaches: systemic, person-centered, activity-based and subjective. The research methodology consists of a theoretical analysis of psychological, educational and sociological literature; an ascertaining experiment, testing, a questionnaire, an analysis of psychological, medical and educational documents; qualitative and quantitative analyses involving mathematical and statistical data processing (Fisher's F-test). Results. The authors have developed and described criteria for the analysis of adolescents' coping strategies. The study reveals statistically significant differences between manifestations of stress factors, resources, coping strategies of adolescents with delinquent behavior and adolescents with socially acceptable behavior. It was found that coping strategies of delinquent adolescents, along with negative characteristics, have a resource potential, which is considered as a guideline for implementing preventive and remedial psychological and educational interventions. It was found that adolescents with delinquent behavior are more likely to use adaptive or relatively adaptive cognitive and emotional coping strategies when dealing with stressful situations (setting personal value, maintaining self-control, optimism). Behavioral coping strategies in most cases are non-adaptive (compensation, retreat, distraction). The authors have identified the factors, which, if taken into account, contribute to increasing the efficiency of psychological and educational support for students based on the analysis of their coping strategies. Conclusions. The article concludes that psychological and educational support for adolescents with delinquent behavior can be improved if peculiarities of their coping strategies are taken into account.