Problems in Adolescents: What Are the Psychological, Social and Financial Consequences?

A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 16122

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek 31000, Croatia
Interests: social pedagogy; media education; pedagogy of adolescence; leisure education; statistical analyses in social sciences

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Behavioral problems are often defined as disorders that contradict specific age, cultural and social values and norms. Internalization and externalization disorders in early life constantly impact a number of related personal and social problems in later life if left untreated. Behavioral problems often lead to aggressive behavior, anxiety, stress, addiction, strained relationships, decreased self-esteem, alienation and social exclusion, with profound direct and indirect effects on the child's cognitive, social and learning development. This might have negative short-term and long-term effects on an individual’s personal, social and professional lives.

This Special Issue is focused on the theoretical, empirical and practical research implications of various risk and protective factors from the perspective of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model or ecological systems theory. The aim is to examine individual and personal factors of the microsystem, the importance of proximal social relations in the mesosystem, as well as the more distal social influences in the surrounding community, such as the importance of social institutions, norms and values at the exosystemic and macrosystemic levels.

The invited contributors are asked to provide novel perspectives on contemporary research approaches in the field of risky and problem behaviors in adolescents. The topics should be focused on the roles of family, school, peers, the media and leisure activities, as well as broader potential social agents and cultural influences (education, health and social welfare, community life and civil society).

The invited contributors should aim to provide insights into recent advances in problem behavior research and successful prevention programs or educational and social strategies with adolescents.

Contributions must fit into one of three journal paper categories (article, conceptual paper or review) and address the topic of this Special Issue.

Dr. Goran Livazovic
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • problem behavior
  • adolescents
  • bioecological model
  • risk and protective factors
  • internalized and externalized problems
  • prevention strategies

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 154 KiB  
Editorial
Problems in Adolescents: What Are the Psychological, Social and Financial Consequences?
by Goran Livazović
Societies 2022, 12(2), 44; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12020044 - 09 Mar 2022
Viewed by 1831
Abstract
Adolescence is a time of change and a period of personal and social transition, which imposes a degree of risk taking with the goal of achieving developmental benefits associated with these changes [...] Full article

Research

Jump to: Editorial

17 pages, 3076 KiB  
Article
Experiences of Adolescent Participation in Educational Institutions in Croatia
by Ivana Borić, Andrea Ćosić and Iva Prskalo
Societies 2021, 11(4), 142; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc11040142 - 03 Dec 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2445
Abstract
Adolescents in educational institutions are one of the groups of children whose voice is seldom heard, who have fewer opportunities to participate, and face more obstacles when they want to participate. Furthermore, growing up in out-of-home care often increases the children’s vulnerability and [...] Read more.
Adolescents in educational institutions are one of the groups of children whose voice is seldom heard, who have fewer opportunities to participate, and face more obstacles when they want to participate. Furthermore, growing up in out-of-home care often increases the children’s vulnerability and endangers their participatory rights in terms of obtaining adequate information on the course of care, the opportunities to participate in decisions relevant to their life and care, the impact on the quality of care, etc. The aim of this paper is to describe adolescent participation from two perspectives: prescribed and formalized in the form of beneficiary councils in educational institutions and in the form of adolescent’s experiences in institutions. A qualitative approach was used, and the data were obtained from focus groups with adolescents, as well as from descriptions of beneficiary councils through online questionnaires. The results shed light on the importance of adolescent’s rights but also on the lack of their fulfilment in educational institutions, especially when it comes to participation. Adolescents’ participation in educational institutions is perceived as limited, characterized by restriction and a lack of choice, which results in decreased motivation for participation. Beneficiary councils, despite being regulated in terms of legislation, are not considered a significant form of child participation in educational institutions. Full article
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12 pages, 272 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Civic and Religious Social Capital on the Antisocial Attitudes of the Youth: A Multi-Level Cross-National Study
by Željko Pavić
Societies 2021, 11(3), 110; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc11030110 - 09 Sep 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1959
Abstract
The main goal of this paper is to investigate whether some dimensions of civic and religious social capital are connected to antisocial attitudes of the youth. Based on the social capital theory and previous research, the author assumed that membership of voluntary associations [...] Read more.
The main goal of this paper is to investigate whether some dimensions of civic and religious social capital are connected to antisocial attitudes of the youth. Based on the social capital theory and previous research, the author assumed that membership of voluntary associations as a dimension of civic social capital and attendance at religious services as a dimension of religious social capital, will be negatively correlated with antisocial attitudes of the youth. The integrated dataset of the last European Values Study and the World Values Survey waves were used as the sources of the research data. The dataset was comprised of 11,411 respondents who were younger than 25 years old from 79 countries. As hypothesized, at the individual level, attendance at religious services was negatively correlated with antisocial attitudes, whereas membership of voluntary associations was positively correlated with antisocial attitudes. At the country level, none of the hypothesized correlations were confirmed. A cross-level interaction between GDP and associational membership was found. The author explains the findings by evoking the special characteristics of religious social capital and its strength in building moral obligations and by suggesting possible differences in incentives for joining voluntary associations in the countries with different levels of economic wealth. Full article
21 pages, 309 KiB  
Article
The Revised Version of the Committing and Experiencing Cyber-Violence Scale and Its Relation to Psychosocial Functioning and Online Behavioral Problems
by Daniela Šincek
Societies 2021, 11(3), 107; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc11030107 - 02 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3766
Abstract
Cyber-violence is the type of online risk behavior inclined to harm others. Development of new forms of cyber-violent behavior leads to the need to revise specific-item measures of cyber-violence periodically. The aim of this research was to explore the psychometric properties of the [...] Read more.
Cyber-violence is the type of online risk behavior inclined to harm others. Development of new forms of cyber-violent behavior leads to the need to revise specific-item measures of cyber-violence periodically. The aim of this research was to explore the psychometric properties of the revised Committing and Experiencing Cyber-Violence Scale: its latent structure, reliability, and descriptive statistics of underlying dimensions, as well as the relation of some known correlates of cyber-violence, like indicators of psychosocial functioning and online behavioral problems, with cyber-violence. Online questionnaires (cyber-violence, depression, anxiety and stress, problematic Internet use, and problematic gaming) were filled out by 1725 adolescents from a convenient sample. Using exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical regression analysis, the questionnaire’s latent structure and contribution of relevant correlates for explaining cyber-violence variance was examined. Results: Exploratory factor analysis showed a five-factor solution with satisfactory reliability: shaming, information manipulation, hate speech, technology abuse, and information sharing. Participants commit and experience cyber-violence rarely, leading to a positive distribution of data in the factors. The Committing and Experiencing Cyber-violence subscales have a large positive correlation. Gender (male), grades, maternal education, depression, anxiety, stress, problematic Internet use, and problematic gaming are positive predictors of experiencing cyber-violence, whereas gender (male), grades, hours spent online on weekdays, depression, anxiety, stress, problematic Internet use, and problematic gaming are positive predictors of committing cyber-violence. Conclusions: Cyber-violence is connected with lower psychosocial functioning and more risky behavior online (problematic Internet use, problematic online gaming). Full article
17 pages, 1028 KiB  
Article
Student Perception of the Social Value of Responsible Management
by Crisanta-Alina Mazilescu, Laurent Auzoult-Chagnault, Loredana Ileana Viscu and Bernard Gangloff
Societies 2021, 11(1), 16; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc11010016 - 26 Feb 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2395
Abstract
In responsible management, managerial efficiency and sustainable development meet and influence each other. In order to give meaning to their organisation, to respect and look after their collaborators, a manager must promote a set of values on a personal, organisational and societal level. [...] Read more.
In responsible management, managerial efficiency and sustainable development meet and influence each other. In order to give meaning to their organisation, to respect and look after their collaborators, a manager must promote a set of values on a personal, organisational and societal level. The purpose of this paper is to study the social value attributed to responsible management by students of a technical university. We have therefore undertaken to study a set of seven values attributed to responsible management and, more precisely, their utility and social desirability on a personal, organisational and societal level. The values have been operationalized with personality descriptors. The 60 participants in this study are students from a Romanian technical university. They had to assess, on four scales of seven points each (two for desirability and two for social utility), the value of a person characterised by one of the seven values attributed to responsible management. The results show us that efficiency is the value perceived by the students as being the most desirable for responsible management, and that in terms of social utility, agility is the most appreciated value. We found that there is indeed an effect of the context in which these values are perceived. Efficiency, audacity, dedication and integrity are perceived as more useful at an organisational level, while solidarity was perceived as more useful on a societal level. At the organisational level we also found a gender effect, in the sense that women appreciate people who are efficient, have integrity or are humble more than men do. Full article
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17 pages, 2755 KiB  
Article
Making School Children’s Participation in Planning Processes a Routine Practice
by Jenny Stenberg and Lasse Fryk
Societies 2021, 11(1), 3; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc11010003 - 01 Jan 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2819
Abstract
Children’s participation in planning has been investigated to some extent. There are, however, unexplored topics, particularly concerning what is needed for children’s participation to become a regular process. Based on case studies in Sweden, this article draws some conclusions. It is quite possible [...] Read more.
Children’s participation in planning has been investigated to some extent. There are, however, unexplored topics, particularly concerning what is needed for children’s participation to become a regular process. Based on case studies in Sweden, this article draws some conclusions. It is quite possible to organize ordinary processes where children participate in community building, in collaboration with planners, as part of their schoolwork. The key question is how this can be done. Clearly, it needs to occur in close collaboration with teachers and pupils, however it also needs to be implemented in a system-challenging manner. Thus, rather than looking for tools with potential to work in the existing school and planners’ world, it is important to design research that aims to create learning processes that have the potential to change praxis. Hence, it is not the case that tools are not needed, rather that children need to help to develop them. Full article
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