STRESS FACTORS AS PREDICTORS OF ANXIETY IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

The article examines the impact of stress factors on the formation of increased anxiety in preschool children.It emphasizes that modern social transformations, the state of war, information overload, and instability of family upbringing create risks of psycho-emotional tension that children are not yet able to effectively cope with. Domestic and foreign scientific approaches to understanding anxiety are summarized, in particular the concepts of C. Spielberger, K. Horney, I. Bekh and T. Tytarenko. The main groups of anxiety predictors are identified: family (conflict, inconsistency in upbringing, overprotection or detachment), educational (adaptation difficulties, changes in requirements), sociocultural (information saturation, security threats), and individual-psychological (low frustration tolerance, emotional vulnerability).The empirical part of the study was carried out using projective techniques and parent questionnaires, which ensured data triangulation. The results showed that a significant proportion of children demonstrate medium (52–64%) and high (24–28%) levels of anxiety, manifested in behavioral, emotional, and projective indicators. The most significant stress factors predicting increased anxiety in preschoolers include situations of aggression or humiliation (both direct experience and observation), which create fear of punishment and rejection; social isolation and neglect, which undermine self-worth; fear of separation from parents and lack of emotional support and security, which intensify loneliness and insecurity.