Issue 24-1, 2025

Original article

https://doi.org/10.38025/2078-1962-2025-24-1-30-38

Psycho-emotional State of Mentally Retarded Children Before and After Going on Holiday: a Pilot Study Findings

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* ORCIDMaryam A. Ryabova, ORCID Elena A. Lugovaya

Scientific Research Center “Arktika”, Magadan, Russia


ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION. The specific climatic and geographical conditions of the northern region can negatively affect the psycho-emotional state of children and adolescents with disabilities. One of the most common diseases among children with disabilities is mental retardation (MR). Addressing the issues of comprehensive rehabilitation of children with disabilities living in the Far North, increasing the availability of health resort treatment, promoting socialization and adaptation, and improving the quality of their lives is a priority.

AIM. To study the effectiveness of summer recreation in the resort area of the Black Sea coast on the psycho-emotional state of mentally retarded children permanently residing in the northern region.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study included children with disabilities in public educational institutions with instruction under adapted programs in Magadan (n = 37 children, mean age 13.89 ± 2.66 years). The majority of the subjects (94.6 %) were diagnosed with mild (F70) and moderate (F71) mental retardation. The study was conducted using the House-Tree-Person test and included three stages: stage 1 took place 2 months before the wellness holiday; stages 2 and 3 were conducted 2 weeks and 2 months after the wellness holiday, respectively.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION  The study found a reliable improvement in the indicators of the psycho-emotional state of the subjects 2 weeks after departure for summer holidays in the parameters: mood decline (p = 0.039); anxiety (p = 0.0001); unmet needs for social and emotional contacts (p = 0.037); fears (p = 0.0001). Two months after the summer holidays, the improved level of the psycho-emotional state indicators persisted, the analysis showed a reliable decrease in the values for the following parameters: mood decline (p = 0.001); anxiety (p = 0.0001); unmet needs for social and emotional contacts (p = 0.015); fears (p = 0.006).

CONCLUSION. The analysis of the findings obtained in the study demonstrated positive trends in the psycho-emotional state of children with mental retardation living in Magadan region before and after their departure for a summer wellness holiday in the resort area of the Black Sea coast. Notable improvements were observed in the parameters of anxiety, communicative activity, and the levels of manifestation of fears and depressive symptoms.

KEYWORDS: mental retardation, wellness holiday, the north, psycho-emotional state, anxiety, depression, children with disabilities

FOR CITATION:

Ryabova M.A., Lugovaya E.A. Psycho-emotional State of Mentally Retarded Children Before and After Going on Holiday: a Pilot Study Findings. Bulletin of Rehabilitation Medicine. 2025; 24(1):30–38.https://doi.org/10.38025/2078-1962-2025-24-1-30-38 (In Russ.).


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This is an open article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by the National Medical Research Center for Rehabilitation and Balneology.