The role of traditional socio-cultural protective factors in adolescent problem behavior PhD thesis

BACKGROUND Adolescents' problem behavior is considered as a syndrome and has been recognized in academic literature for a long time. Problem behavior consists of adolescents' harmful health habits and elements of psychological well-being. The frequent appearance of harmful health habits during adolescence might lead to problem behavior. Thus, problem behavior includes and describes the co-occurrence of substance use and other behavioral factors, such as early importance of risk factors, protective factors should be highlighted in order to develop an improved health status of the population with greater protection and prevention. The psychosocial risk factors are the following: aggressive behavior, social inequalities, work or marital stress. Further, significant traditional socio-cultural protective factors provide their protective impact, for instance family cohesion, social support and religiosity. Traditional socio-cultural protective factors should gain more significance in the contemporary research in the field of health and behavioral sciences. Family cohesion should be emphasized more dominantly, such as, family background, family status of parents, parenting style, parent-adolescent relationship and social support. In the last few decades family life has experienced many changes. The structure of families, social roles and also the concept of children have been modified. The post-modern society has brought fragmentation, decline of former extended family structures and weakening of a traditional social network. The current demographical trends, namely, decreased intention to marriage, marriage rates and fertility, increased divorce rates and the popularity of cohabiting, might be based on new values, roles and a social crisis of family. Doubtlessly, the current economic and social changes have affected family life, particularly marriage. Despite the negative impact family and marriage are still a significant part of society. Previous studies in the sociology of health and health psychology have called to attention the significance in gains and negative impacts of different types of family status. Family relations can highly contribute to health status and well-being, due to the perceived role of social support. Several studies have found the evidence on the protective role of marriage. Family status itself affects morbidity rates. People with a different family status report different health status, different levels of well-being can be linked to their different way of life. Poor health – comparing same age groups – is less likely to occur among married individuals, while widowed ones report the poorest health. Not surprisingly, the protective social network 1 may decrease mortality and morbidity, decrease the frequency of perceived symptoms and contribute …