Sense of coherence, health and quality of life in adolescents during secondary education

Adolescencija je obilježena brojnim promjenama koje zahtijevaju stalnu adaptaciju. Među važnijima su polazak u srednju školu i život u učeničkome domu. Cilj rada bio je istražiti povezanost boravka adolescenata u učeničkim domovima i osjećaja koherentnosti da bi se utvrdio način na koji mogu uspješnije upravljati zdravljem i kvalitetom života. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od 441 adolescenta koji su praćeni kroz dvije godine. Rezultati istraživanja nisu potvrdili hipotezu da adolescenti koji borave u učeničkim domovima imaju slabiji osjećaj koherentnosti, lošije zdravlje i lošiju kvalitetu života u odnosu na one koji žive s roditeljima. Djelomično je potvrđena hipoteza da je osjećaj koherentnosti povezan sa zdravljem i kvalitetom života te se mijenja odrastanjem adolescenata. Naime, rezultati istraživanja potvrdili su povezanost osjećaja koherentnosti sa zdravljem i kvalitetom života, međutim, osjećaj koherentnosti bio je stabilan tijekom vremena srednjoškolskoga odrastanja. Subjektivna kvaliteta života, muški spol te mentalno zdravlje ključni su prediktori snažnijeg osjećaja koherentnosti tijekom srednjoškolskoga razdoblja. Život adolescenata u učeničkome domu ne predstavlja opterećenje za kvalitetu života i zdravlje učenika. Bez obzira na smještaj učenika tijekom srednjoškolskoga obrazovanja, nužno je poticanje i unapređenje faktora koji promoviraju zdravlje, u prvome redu osjećaja koherentnosti, da bi se mehanizmom salutogeneze postigla bolja kvaliteta života i zdravlja adolescenata.Adolescence is marked by constant adaptation to stressful situations. One of those is the beginning of secondary education and living in dormitories. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between sense of coherence, health and subjective well-being among adolescents living with parents and those living in dormitories during their secondary education. The study was conducted on a sample of 441 adolescents. The results did not support the hypothesis that adolescents living in dormitories have a lower sense of coherence, poorer health and a lower quality of life compared to those living with parents as well as that a sense of coherences changes during their secondary education. The hypothesis that a sense of coherence is associated with health and adolescents' quality of life during their secondary education was accepted. Furthermore, subjective quality of life, male gender and mental health singled out as the key adolescents’ sense of coherence predictor during their secondary education. Regardless of their accommodation, it is important to implement health-promoting factors into different areas of adolescent context, especially sense of coherence, so that a better quality of life and adolescents' health are promoted with salutogenic activities