Difficult life situation in social work with young people: clarification of the conceptual content of the term

The article examines modern approaches to the disclosure of the concept of «difficult life situation», widely used in the practice of social work. The author conducted a comparative analysis of the interpretations of this term proposed in dictionaries and norms of federal legislation. In the course of a systematic and comparative analysis, the key characterological signs of various difficult life situations encountered in the practice of social work are identified. Based on the results of the study, a refined author's interpretation of the concept of «difficult life situation» is proposed, which is recommended for use in modern social sciences.