Abstract
Background: A positive transition to adulthood entails developing the individual and social skills needed to cope with critical situations. The “My Health Diary” program was designed as a school-based and teacher-led intervention focusing on the active engagement of 12- to 13-year-old pre-adolescents. The study analyzes the role of several primary variables (psychological well-being, psychosomatic symptoms, health status), secondary variables (health-risk behaviors, prosocial behavior, academic success, physical and verbal aggression), and mediator variables of emotional and social skills in terms of empathic and social self-efficacy, and satisfaction with school. Methods: Sixty schools were involved, divided into control groups (N = 29) and intervention groups (N = 31). The program was administered only to the intervention group. Of the 2306 students at the baseline, 2078 were still involved at post-intervention 6 months later. Results: The program was not found to have significant effects on the primary outcome variables and most of the secondary variables. For the mediators, however, the association was stronger for the girls in the intervention group, and there was a statistically significant difference in the empathic skills shown by girls, who reported higher levels than boys. Conclusions: The program was found to have encouraging effects on some mediators and in enhancing socio-relational and emotional skills among pre-adolescents.
Highlights
IntroductionClausen [7] described these crucial moments of change as turning points and life markers
In adolescence, as Havighurst argued in his Developmental Tasks Theory [1], later described by Manning [2] and documented by numerous authors in more recent studies [3,4,5], boys and girls are required to acquire social, cognitive, and emotional skills to adequately address developmental tasks.Adolescence is a time of transition from childhood to adulthood [6] when boys and girls are suspended between past and future in an attempt to overcome the bridge that separates them
A positive transition into adulthood means avoiding risky behaviors. It entails developing the individual and social skills needed to cope with critical situations and challenges which take place at the physiological level and are associated with growing up [9,10,11]
Summary
Clausen [7] described these crucial moments of change as turning points and life markers During this phase, adolescents reflect on and re-evaluate past decisions and choices, redefine themselves according to new roles and expectations, and consider the changes that may take place in their lifestyles. Adolescents reflect on and re-evaluate past decisions and choices, redefine themselves according to new roles and expectations, and consider the changes that may take place in their lifestyles These changes can affect adolescents’ re-organizational identity process and development paths in the life-span [8]. A positive transition into adulthood means avoiding risky behaviors It entails developing the individual and social skills needed to cope with critical situations and challenges which take place at the physiological level and are associated with growing up [9,10,11]. Conclusions: The program was found to have encouraging effects on some mediators and in enhancing socio-relational and emotional skills among pre-adolescents
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