Abstract: the article presents the results of a psychological study of 42 adolescents (14-17 years old) with the onset of ulcerative colitis who are being treated in the gastroenterology department of the National Medical Research Center for Children’s Health of the Ministry of Health of Russia (2016-2017). The psychological examination included a structured observation of the activities and communication of adolescents in the department and diagnostic techniques aimed at studying the emotional and motivational-need areas, self-esteem and coping strategies: an adapted questionnaire of children’s depression (Maria Kovacs); methodology “Diagnostics of self-esteem” T. Dembo – S.Ya. Rubinstein, test “Three desires” by L.S. Slavina, an adapted method of diagnostics of coping strategies (L.I. Wasserman). The psychological difficulties of adolescents with the onset of ulcerative colitis are shown. Clinical descriptions of three groups of adolescents are presented: with high, medium and low levels of adaptation to hospital conditions. The following were identified as the main psychological criteria for adaptation to a hospital: stability and nature of the emotional state, sociability and the ability to request emotional and instrumental support, the ability to switch from worries about the state of one’s own health to other activities. The main directions of psychological support for adolescents with the onset of chronic illness, which are primarily determined by the nature of psychological difficulties and the level of adaptation to hospital conditions, have been determined. It was found that a prerequisite for correcting the difficulties of adaptation to hospital conditions in adolescents with an exacerbation of the disease is psychological support from the moment of their initial admission to the department and further – at all stages of treatment.
Keywords: debut of a chronic somatic disease, disabilities, ulcerative colitis in children, stress, coping behavior, adaptation to hospital conditions