ACTUAL NEEDS AND FEATURES OF THE MANIFESTATION OF MECHANISMS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROTECTION OF ADOLESCENTS AT RISK OF SUBSTANCE USE
The article discusses the problem of psychological protection in older adolescents at risk of substance use. Some approaches to understanding the psychological protection of the individual are considered. The data available in the scientific literature on the predominant types of protective mechanisms in adolescents using psychoactive substances are presented. The fact of relevance and little knowledge of the problem of specificity is stated. The results of an empirical study devoted to the study of the specifics of the relationship between the mechanisms of psychological protection and the actual needs of adolescents at risk of using psychoactive substances in comparison with their peers who do not use psychoactive substances are analyzed. The results of the correlation analysis of the structure of the mechanisms of psychological protection and actual needs of adolescents at risk of substance use and adolescents not prone to the use of psychoactive substances are considered. Both general and various correlations of the mechanisms of psychological protection and actual needs of older adolescents at risk of substance use and their peers who are not prone to substance abuse have been identified. It has been established that the connection of psychological protection with unmet needs in adolescence is not unambiguous and obvious, although in some cases it really turns out to be pronounced.