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The results show a relatively high consumption of alcohol in the examined group. The recommended weekly limits were exceeded by only a small portion, but that consumption had a binge character. Conversion into a form allowing comparison with conventional national statistics shows a significantly lower consumption than these reported statements. Overall, men consume significantly more alcohol than women.

Dispositional optimism is a psychological trait associated with both physical and mental health in adults. Less is known about the associations between optimism and health among adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dispositional optimism, health-related behavior and mental health among Czech adolescents. Further on, the effect of gender and age (early vs. late adolescence) on mental health levels was explored. Instruments: short form of the Mental Health Continuum (MHC-SF); Health Behaviours Scale; Life Orientation Test -Revised (LOT-R). Sample: 1376 Czech adolescents aged 11-19 (M = 15.9; SD = 2.3), 56.8% females. Statistical analysis: Hierarchical multiple regression analysis with three sets of predictors. The first set of predictors (age and gender) explained 7.3% of variance in MHC-SF scores; the second set of predictors -LOT-R optimism and pessimism scores -explained another 25% of variance; and the third set of predictors (health-related behaviors) explained additional 16.3% of variance. The final model explained 48.6% of variance in mental health among adolescents. Dimensions of dispositional optimism turned out to be the strongest set of predictors of positive mental health in adolescents, while health behavior components predicted the mental health levels to a lesser extent. Gender and age were also significant predictors of mental health, with boys and younger adolescents scoring higher.

Background One of the most widely used instruments to measure depression in childhood and adolescence is Kovacs’s Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI). Even though this particular measure sparked massive interest among researchers, there is no clear consensus about its factorial structure. It has been suggested that inconsistencies in findings can be partly ascribed to the cultural context. The aim of this study was a) to examine and verify the factor structure of CDI in the Czech population and b) to assess gender-related psychometric differences using the mean and covariance structure (MACS) approach and differential item functioning (DIF) analysis. Methods The research sample consisted of 1,515 adolescents (ages 12 to 16 years, 53.7% female) from a non-clinical general population. Based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on a random subsample (N = 500), we proposed a model that was subsequently tested on the rest of the sample (N = 1,015) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Following the MACS procedure, we assessed measurement invariance in boys and girls. The between-group comparison was further supplemented by a DIF analysis. Results The proposed hierarchical four-factor model (General Symptoms, Negative Self-Concept, Inefficiency, and Social Anhedonia) with a second-order factor of depression fitted the data reasonably well (χ2 = 1281.355; df = 320; RMSEA = 0.054, CFI = 0.925). Regarding gender differences, we found no substantial signs of measurement invariance using the MACS approach. Boys and girls differed in first-order latent means (girls scored higher on General Symptoms with a standardized mean difference of 0.52 and on Negative Self-Concept with a standardized mean difference of 0.31). DIF analysis identified three items with differential functioning. However, the levels of differential functioning were only marginal (in two items) or marginal/moderate and the presence of DIF does not substantially influence scoring of CDI. Conclusion In the general adolescent population in the Czech Republic, the CDI can be considered a reliable instrument for screening purposes in clinical settings and for use in research practice. Instead of the originally proposed five-factor model, we recommend using the newly established four-factor structure. The measure seems to show only marginal psychometric differences with respect to gender, and overall measurement invariance in boys and girls seems to be a tenable assumption.

The exploratory study, conducted as a part of a research project supported by the Czech Science Foundation (No. 13-19808S), attempted to shed more light on the interrelations between dispositional optimism/pessimism, explanatory style optimism/pessimism, defensive pessimism/strategic optimism, and health-related behaviour. The main objective was to test whether findings obtained on American population and several European samples concerning positive relationships between optimism and health-related activity, and between pessimism and passivity, can be replicated on a Czech sample. The analysis of data from 268 respondents aged between 16 and 96 did not confirm any significant associations between different types of optimism/pessimism and health behaviours except for one: Promotion of mental well-being was predicted by defensive pessimism and by optimistic explanatory style, especially the stability dimension. The study also addresses the complex interrelations between different optimism/pessimism constructs, health-related behaviour, and subjective health problems.

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Iva Burešová (kapitoly 3 a 6, závěr) Jaroslava Dosedlová (úvod, kapitola 2, závěr) Jana Marie Havigerová (kapitoly 3 a 4) Martin Jelínek (kapitoly 2 a 6) Helena Klimusová (kapitoly 2, 3 a 6) Alena Pučelíková (kapitoly 3 a 5) Alena Slezáčková (kapitoly 3 a 5) Lubomír Vašina (kapitola 7) Recenzovali: prof. PhDr. Vladimír Kebza, CSc. (Univerzita Karlova, Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze) doc. PhDr. Bohumil Koukola, CSc. (Ostravská univerzita) PhDr. Ivan Sarmány-Schuller, CSc. (Ústav experimentálnej psychológie Centrum spoločenských a psychologických vied Slovenskej akadémie vied) Monografie vznikla jako výstup výzkumu realizovaného s podporou agentury GAČR, projekt číslo GA13-19808S "Chování zdraví podporující a zdraví ohrožující: determinanty, modely a konsekvence".

In line with the current psychological approach to health in general, mental health is perceived not only as the absence of psychopathological disorders, but also the presence of well-being. The study contributes to the identification of possible sources affecting mental health in adolescence. This cross-sectional study focuses on the role of personality traits, dispositional optimism, and perceived social support in predicting mental health in adolescence. Mental health was assessed using Mental Health Continuum, personality traits using Big Five Inventory, dispositional optimism using Life Orientation Test—Revised and social support by Close Relationships and Social Support Scale. The research sample consisted of 1,239 respondents aged 12 to 19 years (mean age 15.56 years), 54.3% females and 45.7 % males. Sequential regression analysis revealed that demographic variables and personality characteristics together explained 33.5% of mental health variance, the strongest predictors being extraversion and neuroticism. Including dispositional optimism and perceived social support resulted in a significant increase of the explained variance. All predictors together explained 46.0% of the mental health variance.