Positive Youth Development Research in Croatia – Changing Strategies for Youth Development

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. Purpose of the project was to explore the positive development and risk behaviour of adolescents. In addition to the insights into the risk behaviour of young people, a picture of strengths and challenges at the individual level and at the level of environments in which young people live was gained (family, school, community). Constructs also included internalized problems, the family and individual resilience of students, social-emotional competences, school attachment as well as mindfulness. The aim of this paper is to present the conducted research as an example of science to practice efforts.

The research intended to obtain quality epidemiological data on adolescents that could serve as a foundation for preventive interventions planning. A representative sample of the survey included 4821 students from 24 secondary schools in Zagreb, Croatian capital. Age of the participants was 14 to 19 (48.2% female and 43.7% were male).

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.