Positive Youth Development in Croatia: School and Family Factors Associated With Mental Health of Croatian Adolescents
IntroductionA framework for understanding the interrelationship of individual and environmental factors that influence adolescent health and well-being, as well as opportunities for policy-level interventions, is known as Positive Youth Development (PYD). The current study represents one of the larg...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.611169/full |
| _version_ | 1818941435364245504 |
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| author | Miranda Novak Nicholas J. Parr Martina Ferić Josipa Mihić Valentina Kranželić |
| author_facet | Miranda Novak Nicholas J. Parr Martina Ferić Josipa Mihić Valentina Kranželić |
| author_sort | Miranda Novak |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionA framework for understanding the interrelationship of individual and environmental factors that influence adolescent health and well-being, as well as opportunities for policy-level interventions, is known as Positive Youth Development (PYD). The current study represents one of the largest studies of Croatian adolescents to date, and aimed to examine associations between school and family factors linked to PYD, and mental health outcomes experienced by Croatian youth.MethodsA multi-site survey study was conducted among adolescents (N = 9,655) residing in the five most populous cities in Croatia, with the aim of examining cross-sectional associations of family and school factors with adolescent mental health. The mean age of participants was 16.3 years (SD = 1.2), and 52.5% of participants were female. School and family factors included school attachment, school commitment, family communication, and family satisfaction. Depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed as outcomes. Multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine relations of interest among female and male adolescents.ResultsAmong school factors, increased school attachment was found to be significantly associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and stress for female adolescents, and with decreased depression and stress for male adolescents. Increased school commitment was significantly associated with decreased depression and anxiety for female adolescents; conversely, an increase in school commitment was associated with an increase in anxiety and stress for male adolescents. Increases in family communication were significantly associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and stress only for male adolescents, while increased family satisfaction was significantly associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and stress for female adolescents and with decreased depression and stress for male adolescents.ConclusionFindings suggest that interventions for mental health promotion and prevention of internalizing problems should address both school and family contexts, and may be more effective when accounting for differing developmental experiences of female and male adolescents. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T06:55:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-270996104c1f4fcf911874ada38e4591 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T06:55:29Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-270996104c1f4fcf911874ada38e45912022-12-21T19:49:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-01-011110.3389/fpsyg.2020.611169611169Positive Youth Development in Croatia: School and Family Factors Associated With Mental Health of Croatian AdolescentsMiranda Novak0Nicholas J. Parr1Martina Ferić2Josipa Mihić3Valentina Kranželić4Laboratory for Prevention Research, Department for Behavioral Disorders, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, CroatiaPrevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United StatesLaboratory for Prevention Research, Department for Behavioral Disorders, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, CroatiaLaboratory for Prevention Research, Department for Behavioral Disorders, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, CroatiaLaboratory for Prevention Research, Department for Behavioral Disorders, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, CroatiaIntroductionA framework for understanding the interrelationship of individual and environmental factors that influence adolescent health and well-being, as well as opportunities for policy-level interventions, is known as Positive Youth Development (PYD). The current study represents one of the largest studies of Croatian adolescents to date, and aimed to examine associations between school and family factors linked to PYD, and mental health outcomes experienced by Croatian youth.MethodsA multi-site survey study was conducted among adolescents (N = 9,655) residing in the five most populous cities in Croatia, with the aim of examining cross-sectional associations of family and school factors with adolescent mental health. The mean age of participants was 16.3 years (SD = 1.2), and 52.5% of participants were female. School and family factors included school attachment, school commitment, family communication, and family satisfaction. Depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed as outcomes. Multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine relations of interest among female and male adolescents.ResultsAmong school factors, increased school attachment was found to be significantly associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and stress for female adolescents, and with decreased depression and stress for male adolescents. Increased school commitment was significantly associated with decreased depression and anxiety for female adolescents; conversely, an increase in school commitment was associated with an increase in anxiety and stress for male adolescents. Increases in family communication were significantly associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and stress only for male adolescents, while increased family satisfaction was significantly associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and stress for female adolescents and with decreased depression and stress for male adolescents.ConclusionFindings suggest that interventions for mental health promotion and prevention of internalizing problems should address both school and family contexts, and may be more effective when accounting for differing developmental experiences of female and male adolescents.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.611169/fullpositive youth developmentinternalizing problemsadolescenceschoolfamilyyouth mental health |
| spellingShingle | Miranda Novak Nicholas J. Parr Martina Ferić Josipa Mihić Valentina Kranželić Positive Youth Development in Croatia: School and Family Factors Associated With Mental Health of Croatian Adolescents Frontiers in Psychology positive youth development internalizing problems adolescence school family youth mental health |
| title | Positive Youth Development in Croatia: School and Family Factors Associated With Mental Health of Croatian Adolescents |
| title_full | Positive Youth Development in Croatia: School and Family Factors Associated With Mental Health of Croatian Adolescents |
| title_fullStr | Positive Youth Development in Croatia: School and Family Factors Associated With Mental Health of Croatian Adolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | Positive Youth Development in Croatia: School and Family Factors Associated With Mental Health of Croatian Adolescents |
| title_short | Positive Youth Development in Croatia: School and Family Factors Associated With Mental Health of Croatian Adolescents |
| title_sort | positive youth development in croatia school and family factors associated with mental health of croatian adolescents |
| topic | positive youth development internalizing problems adolescence school family youth mental health |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.611169/full |
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