engleski

 ASPECTS OF INDIVIDUAL RESILIENCE & RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOR: PERCEPTION OF ADOLESCENTS FROM THE NORTHERN COUNTY OF CROATIA

The Laboratory for Prevention Research, Department of Behavioral Disorders, ERF-UNIZG is the leader of the project “Positive Development of Adolescents in Croatia”, which aimed to study indicators of positive development, risk behavior and mental health of adolescents. The aim of this paper is to determine the contribution of aspects of individual resilience to the explanation of risky sexual behavior of adolescents from county from North of Croatia. The study involved 1, 647 adolescents (46% girls and 52% boys, aged 14 to 19 years), which is 30% of all enrolled high school students. To answer our research question, modified version of the Resilience and Youth Development Module (California Department of Education, 1997) and seven questions about risky sexual behavior were examined. Regarding risky sexual behavior, 26.6% of adolescents from had sexual intercourse, and of those who had this experience, 8.9% reported this experience before the age of 14. Of those adolescents who reported having sexual intercourse, 33.4% reported having more than two partners. To achieve the objectives of this paper, binary logistic regression was conducted. The sample consisted of 385 adolescents. Risky sexual behavior of adolescents was defined by two facts: had sexual intercourse before the age of 16 and had more than two partners. In general, the results showed that predictors that reduce the possibility of risky sexual behavior among adolescents are higher levels of empathy, better problem-solving skills and higher goals and aspirations. On the other hand, predictors that increase the possibility of risky sexual behavior among adolescents are higher level of self-efficacy and self-awareness. Other studies based on risky sexual behavior show similar results on self efficacy. These results suggest that attention to aspects of individual resilience—which can help youth navigate adolescence in healthy ways—is promising for development and implementation of prevention programs for risky sexual behavior.

INDIVIDUAL RESILIENCE ; RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOR ; ADOLESCENTS

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