The Relationship Between the Mental Health of Slovenian Adolescents and the Support of their Various Personal Social Networks

Aim To analyse the relationships between individual social networks and selected indicators of mental health among Slovenian adolescents aged 15 and 17.Methods Data from the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey in 2018 were used. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to calculate the reliability of the scales. Data were presented using descriptive statistics and frequency distributions. Differences between the two groups were determined using the chi-square or t-test. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to test the associations. Multiple linear regression was also used to explain adolescents' mental health.Results The mental health of adolescents is statistically significantly related to the experience of support in their social networks (p <= 0.05). Adolescents with better mental health differ from those with poorer mental health in the degree to which they experience support from their social networks. Support from a greater number of social networks is statistically significantly associated with lower perceived stress and the risk of depression. In explaining adolescents' good mental health, the support of the school environment, i.e. classmates and teachers, proved to be more important than the support of the family.Conclusions The support of personal social networks is essential for good mental health in young people. In practice, it would be reasonable to strengthen the support of teachers and classmates, as the school environment proved to be a very important source of support at that age. Namen Analizirati povezave med posameznimi socialnimi mre & zcaron;ami in izbranimi pokazatelji du & scaron;evnega zdravja pri 15- in 17-letnih v & scaron;olanih slovenskih mladostnikih.Metode Analizirani so bili podatki raziskave Z zdravjem povezana vedenja v & scaron;olskem obdobju (HBSC), izvedene leta 2018. Za izra & ccaron;un zanesljivosti lestvic je bil uporabljen Cronbachov alfa koeficient. Podatki so bili prikazani z opisnimi statistikami in frekven & ccaron;nimi porazdelitvami. Razlike med dvema skupinama smo ugotavljali s testom x2 ali t testom. Za preverjanje povezanosti je bil uporabljen Pearsonov koeficient korelacije. Uporabljena je bila tudi multipla linearna regresija z namenom pojasnjevanja du & scaron;evnega zdravja mladostnikov.Rezultati Du & scaron;evno zdravje mladostnikov je statisti & ccaron;no zna & ccaron;ilno povezano z do & zcaron;ivljanjem podpore v njihovih socialnih mre & zcaron;ah (p <= 0,05). Mladostniki z bolj & scaron;im du & scaron;evnim zdravjem se od tistih s slab & scaron;im du & scaron;evnim zdravjem razlikujejo glede na stopnjo do & zcaron;ivljanja podpore njihovih socialnih mre & zcaron;. Tudi podpora ve & ccaron;jega & scaron;tevila socialnih mre & zcaron; je statisti & ccaron;no zna & ccaron;ilno povezana z manj & scaron;im zaznanim stresom in tveganjem za depresijo. Pri pojasnjevanju dobrega du & scaron;evnega zdravja mladostnikov se je za pomembnej & scaron;o od podpore dru & zcaron;ine izkazala podpora & scaron;olskega okolja, torej so & scaron;olcev in u & ccaron;iteljev.Zaklju & ccaron;ki Podpora osebnih socialnih mre & zcaron; je klju & ccaron;na za dobro du & scaron;evno zdravje mladostnikov. V praksi bi bilo smiselno okrepiti predvsem podporo u & ccaron;iteljev in so & scaron;olcev, saj se je & scaron;olsko okolje izkazalo za zelo pomemben vir podpore.