Migration from Northern Siberia regions: psychophysiological adaptation of children

Background
This article presents results of research about psychophysiological adaptation of children who migrated from the northern to the southern regions of Siberia. The purpose of this study was to create measures that can be used to promote health among migrants.

Material and methods
We examined 157 children between the ages of 11-16. Roughly half (n=74) were child migrants, and the remainder (n=83) were children who lived constantly in region of southern Siberia. Psychophysiological adaptation was assessed by methods of Eysenck, Rogov, Belokon & Kuberger.

Results
Assessment of parameters allowed us to reveal multidirectional results in groups of children. The questionnaire developed by Eysenck showed the predominance of the extroverted type of personality among patients, but emotional instability was more often recorded among child migrants (p=0.0007). Child migrants took significantly longer to complete psychological tests, including tests of attention (p=0.0042) and verbal logical thinking (p<0.001). Vegetative homeostasis was characterized by a higher level of sympathetic tonic initial vegetative tone (p=0.0172), hyper sympathetic tonic variant of vegetative reactivity (p=0.0377), and an altered type of hemodynamic reaction to the clino-orthostatic test (50% of cases).

Conclusions
The high frequency of emotional instability, slower speed of logical thinking possesses, and sympathetic tonic orientation of vegetative homeostasis parameters are distinctive features of child migrants. Children with deviations in psychophysiological parameters are at high risk of developing psychosomatic pathology. Preventive measures are necessary to help promote health among child migrants.