Substance Use and Misuse Among 17- to 18-Year-Old Croatian Adolescents: Correlation with Scholastic Variables and Sport Factors

Abstract

Substance use and misuse (SUM) and the relation to physical activity/exercise/athletic participation (sport factors) and scholastic achievement are rarely studied in Croatia. The aim of this study was: (1) to investigate the SUM habits in Croatian adolescents (17-18 years of age, 254 males, and 218 females), and (2) to study potential gender-specific interrelationships between scholastic and sport factors in relation to SUM. The testing was done using an extensive, anonymous, self-administered questionnaire that consisted of scholastic variables, sport factors, and SUM data. Descriptive statistics, counts, and proportions were calculated. Gender differences were established using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Gender-specific correlations within and between studied variables were established using the Spearman's correlation. The incidence of smoking habits and alcohol consumption among Croatian adolescents was alarming, and a serious intervention program should be developed to address this issue. Educational achievement was negatively related to SUM, with no gender-specific relationships. The data indicated some "protective" effects of the sport factors against SUM in boys, but a significant positive correlation between alcohol drinking and sport participation in girls was also noted.

Cigarette smoking among 17–18 year old adolescents – Prevalence and association with sociodemographic, familial, sport, and scholastic factors

“…To the best of our knowledge, only 1 study has investigated the problem of substance misuse, and the authors have reported that 36% of adolescents in the city of Gjilan were smokers, with no significant difference between girls and boys [2]. These findings are consistent with previous studies on the prevalence of smoking among adolescents in the region (a former Yugoslav territory) [3,4].…”

“…Surveys were performed using a self-administered questionnaire, which was previously used and found to Smoking in adolescence: Prevalence and correlates Nr 2 155 be valid in a similar sample of subjects in surrounding countries [3,4]. Although the questionnaire consisted of a broad variety of questions, the study focused on sociodemographic variables, sport-related factors, familial monitoring (predictors), and cigarette consumption data (dependent variable).…”

“…The sample represents 37% of the high school seniors in Pristina, which is approximately 5% of the high school seniors in Kosovo. The sample was intentionally limited to 17-and 18-year-old children because studies conducted to date in the former Yugoslav territories have studied this age group, thus allowing us to objectively compare findings [2][3][4].…”

Substance use and misuse in the Croatian Army Special Forces: prevalence and influencing factors

“…alcohol is consumed regularly with the meal, but intoxication is not socially accepted). However, there is strong epidemiological evidence that excessive consumption of alcohol is a growing problem in Croatia [28]. Taking into account the specific military environment (which in general accepts alcohol consumption), we may highlight that alcohol consumption in the Croatian Army should be precisely monitored, although our data showed relatively low levels of alcohol consumption in the studied sample of SAF members.…”

“…In short, studies reported younger age, low military rank and subjectively poor mental health score as the risk factors for heavy alcohol drinking [21,22]. Additionally, those soldiers who have never been married, and/or have been separated to "I binge a few times a week") and by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scale [16,28]. The subjects were additionally grouped according to AUDIT results into those who practice harmful drinking (scores of 11 or above) vs. non-harmful drinking (scores below 11).…”