SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DIFFICULTIES IN ADOLESCENTS

Adolescencijom nazivamo prijelazno razdoblje u kojemu mlada osoba sazrijeva iz djeteta u odraslu osobu. U tome razdoblju, mlada osoba suočava se s mnogim, za nju novim, situacijama. Novi izazovi mogu izazvati osjećaj konfuzije i preplavljenosti. Razdoblje adolescencije karakterizira bogat emocionalan i socijalan život mladih osoba. Adolescenti se češće oslanjanju na svoje emocije nego razum kada je u pitanju njihovo ponašanje. U ovome razdoblju također je, uslijed pojave brojnih promjena i izazova s kojima se mlada osoba suočava, povećan rizik od pojave različitih emocionalnih i socijalnih problema. Oni mogu biti eksternalizirani ili internalizirani, odnosno više ili manje uočljivi. Kod nekih mladih postoji povećan rizik od pojave emocionalnih i socijalnih problema radi različitih osobnih i okolinskih značajki. Te osobne i okolinske značajke mogu predstavljati zaštitne ili rizične čimbenike koji smanjuju ili povećavanju vjerojatnost pojave socio-emocionalnih problema. Adolescentova neposredna okolina, odnosno njegova obitelj, vršnjaci i škola imaju veliku ulogu u životu adolescenta. Oni mogu pružiti potrebnu podršku i razumijevanje, a ako, uz ostale životne teškoće, to izostane, mogu se javiti problemi. Rano otkrivanje problema i prevencija osiguravaju manji utjecaj problema na optimalan razvoj adolescenta. Prevencija zahtijeva interdisciplinarni pristup i suradnju učenika, roditelja, nastavnika, pedagoga i ostalih stručnjaka. Uvježbavanje socijalnih vještina roditelja i adolescenta pokazalo se uspješnim u sprječavanju razvoja socio-emocionalnih problema ili barem smanjivanju njihovog utjecaja.Adolescence is the transitional period in which a young person matures from a child to an adult. In that period, a young person faces many new situations. New challenges may cause a sense of confusion and overwhelmingness. Adolescence is characterized by rich emotional and social life of young people. Adolescents tend to rely on their emotions rather than common sense when it comes to their behavior. During this period, due to numerous changes and challenges a young person faces, the risk of various emotional and social problems is increased. They can be externalised or internalized, in other words more or less noticeable. Some young people have more chance of developing emotional or social problems due to different personal and environmental features. These personal and environmental features may represent protective factors or factors of risk that reduce or increase the probability of developing socio-emotional problems. Adolescent's immediate surroundings, in other words his family, peers and school, have a major role in his life. They can provide the necessary support and understanding. If this is absent and some difficulties appear in life, problems may arise. Early recognition of problems and prevention have good impact on the adolescent's optimal development. Prevention requires an interdisciplinary approach and cooperation between pupils, parents, teachers, pedagogues and other experts. Parents and adolescents social skills’ training has proven to be successful in preventing socio-emotional problems or at least reducing their impact