Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.31299/ksi.33.2.1
Indicators of positive youth development - protective or risk factors in relation to lifetime prevalence of substance use?
Josipa Mihić
orcid.org/0000-0003-3678-097X
; University of Zagreb Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Compared to individuals at other developmental stages, adolescents are more likely to engage in risky behaviour, including experimenting with various addictive substances. There is evidence that indicators of positive youth development, operationalised according to the 5C model of positive youth development, can play a protective role in young people's involvement in risky behaviours, including the use of addictive substances. The aim of this study was to investigate gender differences in the lifetime prevalence of substance use and understand whether 5C indicators of positive youth development contribute to the lifetime prevalence of substance use in adolescents. The study was conducted based on a sample of 3,559 high school students (55.5 % girls) from Croatia with a mean age of 15.12 years (SD = 0.392). Indicators of positive youth development were assessed using the Positive Youth Development Questionnaire (PYD-SF; Geldhof et al., 2014), and experience with substance use was assessed using the Frequency of Substance Use Questionnaire (WHO ASSIST Working Group, 2002). The results indicate that the girls in our sample reported a higher frequency of occurrence of lifetime prevalence of cigarette and e-cigarette use than boys. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that certain 5C indicators of positive youth development (character, connection, and confidence) contributed to a lower likelihood of lifetime prevalence of the use of specific addictive substances. Therefore, these indicators may represent a protective factor in relation to the aforementioned phenomenon. The analyses also revealed that certain 5C indicators (competence and caring) contributed to a higher probability of lifetime prevalence of the use of specific addictive substances among high school students. The findings of this research emphasise the need to consider the dual role of indicators of positive youth development when planning interventions to encourage the positive development of young people, as well as interventions aimed at preventing the use of addictive substances among adolescents.
Keywords
positive development; 5C model; sex; addictive substances; adolescents
Hrčak ID:
341790
URI
Publication date:
19.12.2025.
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