Socio-psychological adaptation of adolescents with visual impairment in group of peers influenced by team sports
The article presents the results of an experimental study of socio-psychological adaptation of adolescents with visual impairment, who train in compliance with the program developed by the author using a variety of means and methods applied in team sports. The objective of the present research was to study the characteristics of socio-psychological adaptation of visually impaired adolescents among their peers using techniques and methods of team sports. Research methods included social and psychological adaptation inventory (by K. Rogers and R. Diamond); state-trait anxiety inventory (Hanin & Spielberger); well-being, activity and mood (WAM) tests; Wasserman's test "Diagnostics of the level of social frustration". Subject to study were 88 visually impaired young people of 13 to 15 years of age, pupils of the boarding school № 1 for Training and Rehabilitation of the Blind of Labor and Social Protection Department of Moscow. The subjects were attributed to 3 groups: study group 1 (30) - impaired adolescents with congenital disorder with low and average levels of adaptation; study group 2 (30) - visually impaired adolescents with acquired disorder, who also had low and average levels of adaptation; reference group (28 people) - adolescents with both acquired and congenital visual deficiency, who were diagnosed with average and high levels of adaptation. The study revealed the high degree of adaptation among adolescents with visual impairment in two study groups as compared to those of the reference one. The highest increment was observed in the integrated indicators such as "adaptation", "emotional comfort" and "self-acceptance". Moreover, well-being, activity and mood indicators and social frustration level significantly improved in two study groups.