Defensive coping potential in primary school children with positive HIV status
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/1992-6464-2026-219-176-189Keywords:
primary school students, HIV, defensive coping potential, psychological defense mechanisms, coping behavior, adaptation potential, adaptationAbstract
This study aims to identify the characteristics of defensive coping potential among primary school children with a positive HIV status. Defensive coping potential was understood as an intrapersonal system of conscious and unconscious processes, as well as personal characteristics. The alignment between defense mechanisms and coping styles was considered a key indicator of this potential in children facing age-related crises exacerbated by a medical condition. This potential enables the child to adapt effectively to challenges within the educational environment. The study involved 30 first-grade primary school students aged 6–7 diagnosed with HIV and 38 healthy students of the same age. Projective methods were employed, including L. Bellak’s Children’s Apperception Test and N. Urinova’s ‘Man in the Rain’ drawing test. The characteristics of defensive coping potential of HIV-positive children were compared with those of typically developing healthy children. The study identified features common for both groups, as well as those specific to HIV-positive children. Children in both groups demonstrated a high prevalence of such mechanisms as projection, replacement, and symbolization, the unconscious use of which reduces anxiety in social interactions. Both groups equally applied such strategies as independent problem-solving, escape, and seeking social support. The defensive coping potential of HIV-positive children showed weak internal integration, with relative autonomy between phycological defense mechanisms, coping behavior, and personal characteristics. This group relied on a limited range of psychological defense mechanisms, rarely employing such mechanisms as ambivalence, suppression, and reaction formation. Unconscious experiences of the illness are integrated into their world view and linked to coping mechanisms. For these children, trust in the world is very important for the defensive coping behavior, reflecting their fundamental need for safety and supportive social relationships.
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