The influence of settlement characteristics on the subjective assessment of well-being and behavioral attitudes of adolescents

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The relevance of the study is due to the lack of empirical data on the impact of infrastructural and geographical factors affecting the subjective well-being of representatives of small urban and rural communities. AIM: The purpose of the work is to identify the subjective well-being indicators and adolescents' behavioral attitudes and their subjective assessments of the school environment. METHODS: We used data from 1164 respondents from 25 rural and urban settlements in Siberia and the European part of the North of the Russian Federation (2016-2018). The dependent variables Cronbach's alpha ranges were from 0.654 to 0.811. The variables differentiating the comparison groups were: the size of the school, the remoteness of the settlement from the infrastructure of the regional center and its position relative to the Arctic zone. RESULTS: Sensitivity to the influence of differentiating variables was shown by assessments of such characteristics of the school environment as: friendliness in the school environment; attitude of teachers; readiness for self-defense; attitudes towards the use of psychoactive substances and illegal behavior. Attitudes towards the use of psychoactive substances and readiness for self-defense were sensitive to differentiating variables. CONCLUSION: The results obtained can be used for solutions that provide control over the risks of social and personal development of adolescents from small urban and rural settlements in sparsely populated areas of the Russian Federation.