Διερεύνηση εξελικτικών χαρακτηριστικών σχολικής και ψυχοκοινωνικής προσαρμογής παιδιών προσχολικής και σχολικής ηλικίας με βάση το σταθμισμένο τεστ Ψυχοκοινωνικής Προσαρμογής

Empirical evidence shows that specific psychosocial factors are linked to the learning process, school achievement and, in general, with students’ adjustment in the school and the family. The aim of the present study is to examine school, social and emotional adjustment of children attending Kindergarten and Elementary School and to identifygroups who are at risk of psychosocial adjustment difficulties. In order to achieve this aim, the teacher rating scales for preschool and school children were used from the standardized Test of Psychosocial Adjustment (Hatzichristou, Polychroni, Besevegis, & Mylonas, 2008). The sample consisted of teacher ratings for 432 Kindergarten children and 800 Elementary School children collected from different parts of Greece. Results showed more positive psychosocial adjustment for the younger age group in Elementary School, especially for the subscales “academic skills” and “problem behavior” and their relative dimensions. Moreover, gender differences were found especially in terms of the dimensions of school and emotional adjustment, with girls scoring higher while the reverse was found for problem behavior. Finally, similar profiles were found for the preschool and school age groups who were at risk for school and psychosocial adjustment difficulties. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the risk and resilience factors of school and psychosocial adjustment of preschool and school aged children and have implications for the design and implementation of prevention and intervention programs in the school setting.