Current state of selective prevention practice of drug abuse in Croatia

Abstract

Drug use is a phenomenon which seriously disturbs the health and the ability to function socially and in a balanced manner for a large number of young people in Croatia who are at the most sensitive stage of their individual development (Petrović, 1983; as cited in Bouillet, 2007). The perspective of developmental psychopathology helps to create all-encompassing theoretical models that explain the development of problems related to drug abuse, identify the groups that have the highest risk and guide the creation of logical models for prevention programs. This paper offers a hypothesized model of development of addiction problems in adolescence from the perspective of developmental psychopathology and uses it as a tool to analyse the current state of selective prevention practice in Croatia. The national focal point for drugs and drug addiction is located within the Office for Combating Drug Abuse of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. This Office also runs a Database of projects and programs administered in the field of drug demand reduction. According to the database review performed by the authors on June 26th 2016, 57 selective prevention programs were identified that fit the criteria for being “selective” (according to the definition by Mrazek & Haggerty, 1994). Among these, 15 selective prevention programs were identified as matching the criteria of “program” used by the US Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS, 2013a & 2013b). The suggested theoretical model was subsequently compared to the goals and activities of these programs.