Social and Behavioral Predictors of Adolescents' Positive Attitude towards Life and Self.

Marta Malinowska-Cieślik,Agnieszka Małkowska-Szkutnik,Hanna Nałęcz,Joanna Mazur

doi:10.3390/ijerph16224404

Abstract

Positive attitude is an important cognitive component of optimism. Although optimism has been widely studied in adolescents’ health, there is limited knowledge about social and behavioral determinants of their positive attitude. The aim of this study was to identify the main predictors of a positive attitude towards life and self in adolescence. Data were collected in 2010 from 2562 Polish adolescents, aged 15 to 17 years old, within the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey. A positive attitude was measured using the 4-item Positive Attitude Scale (PAS). Univariate analysis of variance was conducted and then hierarchical linear regression models adjusted for gender, age and family affluence were estimated. The mean PAS score was 13.25 (SD = 3.74), on the scale ranged 0–20. Eight out of 18 variables were included in the final model, which explained 25.1% of PAS variability. Communication in the family and with peers, as well as neighborhood social capital showed the strongest impact on positive attitude in adolescents. Physical activity, eating breakfast and school performance were also found to be important predictors. The results of the study highlight the need to include the development of interpersonal competences, promoting physical activity and supporting school performance, in adolescents’ mental health promotion programs, particularly in girls.

Highlights

Adolescence is an exceptionally plastic period of life, in which personality traits and interaction with family, peers and the community are considered as significant aspects of development
This study investigates associations and the influence of social relations and health behaviors with adolescents’ positive attitude, which is related to optimism
We found that gender-dependent differences were higher in older adolescents from cities and more affluent families

Summary

Introduction

Adolescence is an exceptionally plastic period of life, in which personality traits and interaction with family, peers and the community are considered as significant aspects of development. Studies of adolescent health and well-being pay high attention to positive development and the enhancement of individual traits and home, school and community environments [1,2]. These studies analyzed personal assets such as resilience, self-esteem, self-efficacy, sense of coherence, and internal locus of control as influencing mental health and subjective well-being in adolescents. Public Health 2019, 16, 4404; doi:10.3390/ijerph16224404 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion