engleski

Relationship of internalized problems symptoms, individual resilience and socio-emotional competence

Recent positive youth development research shows complex association between adaptive functioning and risk behaviour of youth, indicating that some adolescents can have high levels of both. Internalized problems are becoming more and more prevalent in youth population, becoming the public health priority. During the year 2017, Croatian Laboratory for Prevention Research has conducted a project Positive Development of City of Zagreb’s Youth – state of the art. Cross-sectional study design has included a representative sample of 15% of total high-school population in Croatian capital, 4821 students, ranging from 1st to 4th grade (48.2% female and 43.7% were male). Aim of the study was to explore the positive development outcomes and risk behaviour of adolescents. In addition to the insights into the risk behaviour of Croatian youth, strengths and assets were examined as well as the level of support available within different settings, family, school and community. Examined variables included internalized problems, the family and individual resilience of students, social-emotional competences, school attachment as well as mindfulness. Data indicates a high prevalence of alcohol consumption (21.8% of the participants use alcohol once or twice a week) while cannabis is used once or twice a week by 6.1% of the participants. Peer violence is also present, as many as 37% of the survey respondents report that they have witnessed their peers being abused during last 4 weeks, and 17% of them have been exposed to peer violence themselves. 27, 2% of participants reports they have been sad and hopeless during last two weeks, 9, 4% have made a plan how to commit suicide while 4, 4% of participants have reported the attempt to commit suicide. School attachment of children is quite low while their perception of family protective factors is quite high. 12, 2% of participants report upon serious depressive symptoms, 22, 2% report upon severe anxiety symptoms and 7, 5% report upon severe stress symptoms. The purpose of the paper is to present the starting point for continuous monitoring of the needs of adolescents in Croatia, aiming national monitoring and data that could serve as a starting point for youth intervention planning.

positive youth development, adolescence, youth, mental health

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