POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE: THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN THE 5CS AND ANXIETY

Abstract

Anxiety-related difficulties,one of the most common psychological difficulties in childhood and adolescence (Neil & Christensen, 2009), are associated with numerous short and long-term negative consequences and are in the increase (Kozina, 2014;Twenge, 2000). Core elements of the PYD model are the 5Cs: competence, confidence, connection, character and caring (Lerner, 2007). There is ample evidence that the 5Cs are positively related to the adolescent's contribution and negativelyrelated to risky behaviors and emotional difficulties. In the present study, we investigated therelationship between the 5Cs and anxiety (and components of anxiety) in a sample of adolescents using the PYD questionnaire (Geldof et al., 2013) andthe AN -UD anxiety scale (Kozina, 2012) in Slovenia (N= 449, Mage=17.10years). The findings indicate the PYD dimensions of confidence and connection as negative predictors of anxiety (andcomponents of anxiety) while caring is shown as a positive predictor of anxiety (and components of anxiety). The findings are informativefor practice within an educational framework, where intervention strategies based on the 5Cs can be used to moderate high-risk behaviors and emotional difficulties, although with caring, some caution need to be taken due to its positive association with anxiety.