Rožė Perminienė, Natalja Istomina, Danguolė Drungilienė, Artūras Razbadauskas
Abstract
The aim of the paper is to analyze the tendencies of substance use by teenagers of Klaipėda and other European cities and the scale of risk factors influencing these tendencies. In 2006 Iceland, together with the international organization „European Cities Against Drugs“ (ECAD), initiated a decadelong international project „Youth in Europe – a Drug Prevention Programme“, the aim of which in Europe is to facilitate the development of preventive strategies, which are based on scientific social factors (those of risk and prevention) influencing the teenager‘ s life. 12 European cities have entered the project, including Klaipėda. An anonymous written survey has been carried out in all partner cities (Helsinki, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Oslo, Reykjavik, Riga, St. Petersburg, Sofia, Vilnius, Stockholm, Gälve, Orebro), using the questionnaire, which was worked out by the Icelandic Centre for Social Research and Analysis and its methodology of survey implementation. Students of the 10th grade (15-16 years old) have benn surveyed. During the survey, the data of 2213 students (48,4 % males and 51,6 % females) in 2006 and the data of 1873 students (50,4 % males and 49,6 % females) in 2008 from Klaipėda were analysed and compered to the data of the same age group average of other European cities that participated in the programme – in year 2006 – 23364 students (48,2 % males and 51,8 % females) and in year 2008 – 21994 students (47,4 % boys and 52,6 % girls). The survey has shown how widely the risk and prevention factors, which affect the use of substances, influenced 15-16 year old teenagers in Klaipėda and other European cities, as well as the change of teenagers‘ social environment from 2006 to 2008. The data of the survey has helped to identify the teenage groups that require attention in reducing the impact of risk factors on them and strengthening their preventive factors.
Keyword(s): teenagers; substance use; protection factors; risk factors
DOI: 10.5200/sm-hs.2013.002
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