engleski

The role of the 5Cs of positive youth development in future worries among youth in Croatia

A tendency to worry increases during adolescence, and the individual differences in the amount of worry become more pronounced during that period. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the five Cs of Positive Youth Development (PYD), namely Competence, Confidence, Character, Connection, and Caring, on the frequency of worries youth have about their future employment prospects, academic performance, social surrounding, loneliness, and socio-economic status. The data were collected within the “CrossNational Project on PYD” on a sample of 728 students in Croatia, who completed a questionnaire including items measuring the five Cs of PYD, future worries, and demographic characteristics. Correlation analysis showed a moderate, negative correlation between future worries and the 5 Cs of PYD, indicating that higher levels of the five Cs of PYD are associated with lower levels of perceived worries about the future. Further, two independent-samples ttests were conducted to compare the five Cs of PYD and future worry scores of girls and boys. The results indicate that girls develop higher levels of the five Cs of PYD, but also higher levels of worries concerning different aspects of the future. Finally, a hierarchical multiple regression showed that the five Cs of PYD explained 21.8% of the variance, after statistically controlling for age and gender differences. While higher levels of confidence and connection were associated with less worry, higher levels of caring were associated with more worry about the future. This research contributes to the understanding of the role of the indicators of PYDs on worry reduction, which can inform the development of interventions as well as youth policies and programmes.

positive youth development, 5C model, future worries

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