ARC Jou nal o Pedia ics
Volume 4, Issue 1, 2018, PP 25-35
ISSN 2455-5711
h p://dx.doi.o g/10.20431/2455-5711.0401004
www.a cjou nals.o g
ARC Jou nal o Pedia ics Page | 25
Posi i e You h De elopmen in Po ugal: A Tool owa ds Gende
Equi y?
Ma ga ida Gaspa de Ma os1,2,3, Te esa San os1,2,3*, Ma a Reis1,2, Diego Goméz-Baya4,
Adilson Ma ques1,2
1Faculdade de Mo icidade Humana (Equipa A en u a Social), Uni e sidade de Lisboa, Po ugal.
2Ins i u o de Saúde Ambien al, Faculdade de Medicina, Uni e sidade de Lisboa, Po ugal.
3William James Cen e o Resea ch, ISPA - Ins i u o Uni e si á io, Lisboa, Po ugal.
4Uni e sidad de Huel a, Spain.
1. INTRODUCTION
Du ing he pas cen u y, you h’s s udies we e
mainly based on isk beha iou s and on a “de ici
pe spec i e”, which in luenced policies, esea ch
and p ac ice. In his app oach, he concep o
posi i e de elopmen was basically de ined by
he absence o dec ease o p oblems (Geldho e
al., 2014). O e he pas wo decades, he s udy
o posi i e indica o s signi ican ly imp o ed
(Lippman, Moo e, & McIn osh, 2011), and i was
la gely ecognized ha ocusing you h p og ams
and in e en ions mos ly on isks and
ulne abili ies, would ha e limi ed impac . Thus,
he in e es in p e en ing you h p oblems and
p omo ing heal hy you h de elopmen led o he
implemen a ion o a s eng h-based model, ha
capi alized human plas ici y (Le ne , 2017), and
aimed o be empowe ing and e ec i e in di e se
con ex s (Benson, Scales, Hamil on, & Sesma,
2006). Such app oach was based on se e al
heo e ical amewo ks (Small & Memmo,
2004), as o example he Posi i e You h
De elopmen -PYD. PYD highligh ed he
impo ance o s eng hening in e nal and ex e nal
de elopmen al asse s comp ised in he social
ecology o you h’s ne wo ks and oppo uni ies
(Ca alano, Be glund, Ryan, Lonczak, &
Hawkins, 2004; Small & Memmo, 2004).
Posi i e indica o s such as he Model o he
Sea ch Ins i u e’s De elopmen al Asse s (40,
comp ised on ex e nal and in e nal asse s)
(Benson, Le e , Scales, & Bly h, 1998) and he
Fi e Cs model o PYD (Compe ence,
Con idence, Cha ac e , Connec ion and Ca ing)
(Busse i & Rose-K asno , 2009; Le ne e al.,
2005, 2011, 2013) we e widely s udied.
Al hough he wo ldwide g owing ocus on
posi i e you h de elopmen among esea che s
and p ac i ione s, global PYD pe spec i es in
di e en coun ies and cul u es a y and i is
impo an o add ess i uniqueness (Kolle &
Ve ma, 2017; Pe e sen, Kolle , Mo i-S e anidi,
& Ve ma, 2017), o be e de elop and ansla e
esea ch knowledge in o con ex -sensi i e
in e en ions and policies. Li e a u e s a ed ha
when young people’s de elopmen al asse s a e in
line wi h he human and s uc u al esou ces in i s
con ex , posi i e de elopmen is acili a ed.
Acco dingly, an adap i e de elopmen al
egula ion p ocess akes place and you hs can
*Co esponding Au ho : Te esa San os, FMH, Uni e sidade de Lisboa, Es ada da Cos a 1495-688 C uz
Queb ada, Po ugal, Email: gaudi_ @ho mail.com
Abs ac : Posi i e You h De elopmen - PYD poin ed ou he need o s eng hen in e nal/ex e nal
de elopmen al asse s in you h’s con ex s. Li e a u e sugges s gende di e ences conce ning heal h ou comes,
wi h gi ls epo ing poo e heal h ou comes, bu highe quali y in pee ela ionships, han boys. This chap e
examines he associa ions o PYD and i s dimensions wi h psychosocial a iables, acco ding o gende .
Th ough an online su ey, 2700 Po uguese college s uden s (73.3% emales), wi h a mean age o 21.3±2.79
yea s old we e included. Fo bo h gende s, he esul s showed signi ican di e ences and simila i ies wi h he
PYD’s o al sco e and i s dimensions. Such esul s ein o ce he impo ance o s udy posi i e indica o s o
PYD, bu aking in o accoun gende issues. Mo e knowledge in his a ea can help heal h/educa ion
p o essionals and policy-make s o be e plan in e en ions/policies. I is aimed o imp o e an in eg al and
gende -sensi i e heal hy pe spec i e o you hs, based on in e disciplina y and ansdisciplina y wo k.
Keywo ds: academic achie emen ; anxie y; de elopmen al asse s; Fi e Cs; gende di e ences; Po ugal;
Posi i e You h De elopmen Sho Fo m (PYD-SF); esilience; sel - egula ion.
Posi i e You h De elopmen in Po ugal: A Tool owa ds Gende Equi y?
ARC Jou nal o Pedia ics Page | 26
con ibu e o he de elopmen o bo h hemsel es
and he socie y (Le ne e al., 2005).
Adolescence and ansi ion o adul hood a e
c i ical momen s o he es ablishmen o heal h
beha iou clus e ing and heal h ajec o ies ha
implica e la e well-being (Ha is 2010; Bauld y
e al., 2012). Men and women may di e en ially
g oup heal h beha iou s in o clus e s, ele an
o long- e m heal h and mo ali y pa e ns
(Olson, Humme , & Ha is, 2017). Li e a u e
unde lined a endency o gi ls o epo poo e
heal h ou comes when compa ed o boys (Cu ie
e al., 2012; Gaspa , Ma os, Ribei o, Leal, &
Albe ga ia, 2014; Ma os, 2000-2014). Di e en
in e naliza ion and ex e naliza ion pa e ns can
play an impo an ole o explain such indings
(Ca allo e al., 2006; Olson, Humme , & Ha is,
2017), as well as social, demog aphic/
en i onmen al con ex s, and he pa en s/pee s
in luence (Olson, Humme , & Ha is, 2017).
Ne e heless, o achie e heal h beha iou s and
posi i e you h de elopmen , i is needed a
g owing sequence o a ious psychosocial
a iables since ea ly childhood which need o
emain ela i ely s able ac oss he li e span. Sel -
egula ion has a pi o al ole in human
unc ioning, b inging psychological p ocesses
such as mo i a ion o a en ion in a desi ed s a e,
despi e incen i es owa ds a di e en one. I is a
mechanism ha helps o cope wi h e e yday li e
demands and in he success ul esolu ion o
de elopmen al c ises, h ough ac i a ion,
moni o ing and inhibi ing (Busch & Ho e ,
2012). I also is posi i ely associa ed wi h well-
being (Baumeis e & Vohs, 2003), posi i e
adap a ion (Mischel, 2014), and se e al posi i e
ou comes in adul hood (Ng-Knigh e al., 2017).
In addi ion, i is conside ed a key psychosocial
ac o ha may educe u u e heal h isk
beha iou s ac oss mul iple domains (deBlois &
Kubzansky, 2016), and lead o posi i e you h
de elopmen , ac ing as a s ong p edic o
(Schmid, Phelps, & Le ne , 2011). Fu he mo e,
he abili y o lea n om mis akes (sel -
egula ion) was pinpoin ed as a obus p edic o
o coping, con idence, enaci y, adap a ion and
ole ance o nega i e si ua ions ( esilience), and
is i one o he mos impo an p o ec i e ac o s
in connec ion wi h esilience. Resea ch on
esilience e e s o i as he managemen o adap
posi i ely despi e he expe ience o ad e si y, as
a way o o e come a isk (González-To es, &
A uch, 2014), and i is closely linked wi h he
pa adigm o PYD in he ield o p e en ion (Lee
e al., 2012; Le ne e al., 2011). Bo h a iables
ha e a signi ican and posi i e ela ionship
(A uch-Ga de e al., 2017; Le ne e al., 2013).
The li e a u e also highligh ed ha sel -con ol
s a egies ha e an associa ion wi h anxie y and
academic achie emen . They may p edic less
eac i i y and mo e adap i e esponses o s ess
in daily p ocesses, sugges ing posi i e e ec s
(Galla & Wood, 2015). In addi ion, hey a e a
majo ac o o academic achie emen and his
is a he ele an , once low academic
achie emen can lead o isk o social exclusion
(Zimme man, 1990), and i is a powe ul
p edic o o well-being, linked o men al heal h
(Kolle & Ve ma, 2017). Ye , pa en ing s yles,
amily s uc u e, eache and pee ela ions a e
also impo an as p o ec i e ac o s (A uch-
Ga de e al., 2017). You hs ha a e in ol ed in
con ex s ha can p o ide posi i e esou ces such
as amily, schools and communi ies end o show
mo e likely e idence o posi i e de elopmen
and less likely nega i e ou comes (Kolle &
Ve ma, 2017). Thus, no single ac o p omo es
esilience in isola ion (A uch-Ga de e al.,
2017), no a single p og am o s a egy p o ides
all you h de elopmen oppo uni ies and suppo
o being success ul (Kolle & Ve ma, 2017).
Facing his heo e ical backg ound, and aking
in o accoun he need o s udy coun y-
speci ici ies, he p esen s udy shows PYD
Po uguese da a on you hs. Conside ing he lack
o s udies a emp ing o cap u e he dynamic
ela ions be ween you h and hei con ex
(Conway, Hea y, & Hogan, 2015), his s udy
aims o examine he associa ions and he impac
o psychosocial a iables (Sel - egula ion,
Resilience, Anxie y and Pe cei ed school
pe o mance) in PYD-SF-PT o al sco e and in i s
speci ic dimensions (Con idence, Compe ence,
Connec ion, Ca ing and Cha ac e ), wi h a
gende ed app oach.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1. S udy Design, Pa icipan s and P ocedu e
The esea ch was conduc ed simul aneously wi h
he BePosi i e p ojec (Ma os, San os & Reis,
2017), a c oss-sec ional s udy and a pa o he
local na ional su ey Heal h Beha iou in
School-aged Child en (HBSC/WHO) (Ma os &
Equipa A en u a Social, 2000-2014) ex ended o
Po uguese Uni e si ies (HBSC/JUnP). The
HBSC/JUnP ollowed all he ules o esea ch
ou lined in 2008 by he Wo ld Medical
Associa ion Decla a ion o Helsinki, and was
app o ed by he E hics Commission o he
Medicine Academic Cen e o Lisbon o he
Facul y o Medicine, Uni e si y o Lisbon.
The BePosi i e s udy esul s om a Po uguese
pa ne ship wi h he Posi i e You h
De elopmen c oss-na ional p ojec (h p://www.
uib.no/en/ g/sipa/pydc ossna ional), which aims
o: 1) examine he ex en o which de elopmen al
Posi i e You h De elopmen in Po ugal: A Tool owa ds Gende Equi y?
ARC Jou nal o Pedia ics Page | 27
(in e nal and ex e nal) asse s a e accessible o
young people in di e en na ional con ex s; 2)
unde s and how hese asse s can be ela ed o
posi i e you h ou comes, such as he “5 Cs” o
PYD (i.e., con idence, compe ence, cha ac e ,
ca ing and connec ion) and h i ing indic o s
(e.g., school success, alues di e si y, esis s
dange and exhibi leade ship); 3) highligh how
posi i e ou comes a e associa ed o young
people’s con ibu ion o he de elopmen o he
sel and o he in ol ing socie y.
In he p esen s udy, a o al o 2700 you hs (1979
women), aged om 16 o 29 yea s old
(21.30±2.79) pa icipa ed in he s udy. Da a
collec ion was pe o med using an online su ey
and he Limesu ey pla o m. P io o da a
collec ion, he pu pose o he s udy was in o med
o you hs and in o med consen s we e ob ained.
In o med consen om pa en s was sough as
well, when necessa y. Con iden iali y o he
esponses o he ques ionnai e and du ing he da a
p ocess was assu ed o you hs.
2.2. Measu es and Ins umen s
All he measu es we e ob ained in a single sel -
epo ed ques ionnai e, composed o se e al
pa s ha ook app oxima ely 45 minu es o
espond. The i s one included he ins uc ions
and in o med consen . The second pa included
he socio demog aphic cha ac e iza ion, namely
age, gende , geog aphic egion, na ionali y, and
educa ion le el. Finally, he hi d pa con ained
ques ions ela ed o he you h himsel and o he s,
comp ising he assessmen o Posi i e You h
De elopmen -PYD and psychosocial a iables
such as Resilience-RES, Sel - egula ion-SR,
Anxie y-STAI-T, and Pe cei ed School
Pe o mance-PSP.
De ailed in o ma ion on hese measu es and
ins umen s is desc ibed in Table 1.
Table1. Measu es and Ins umen s
Sociodemog aphic Va iables
Age
Mín: 16 - Máx: 29 (Yea s Old)
Gende
1=Boy; 2=Gi l
Na ionali y
1=Po uguese; 2=O he s
Educa ional Le el
1=Seconda y; 2=G adua e; 3=Mas e
Socio Economic S a us - SES
1=Low; 2=Middle; 3=High
Psychosocial Va iables
Name
Psychosocial
Measu e
Sho Desc ip ion
Posi i e You h
De elopmen -PYD,
Sho Fo m,
Po uguese Reduced
Ve sion (PYD-SF-PT)
(Geldho e al., 2014;
Jelicic, Bobek, Phelps,
Le ne , & Le ne , 2007;
Le ne e al., 2005)
Posi i e You h
De elopmen
(5 Cs: Con idence,
Compe ence,
Connec ion, Ca ing
and Cha ac e )
 The o iginal e sion o PYD scale was de eloped using da a
om he 4-H S udy in i s di e en wa es, which p oposed and
es ed a highe -o de measu e o PYD, consis ing o a fi e
fi s -o de la en cons uc s, each ep esen ing one o he Fi e
Cs o PYD;
 The 78 i ems om he o iginal scale we e d awn and adap ed
om se e al ques ionnai es. Mo e ecen ly, a sho e e sion
o his scale (wi h 34 i ems) was de eloped - he Posi i e You h
De elopmen Sho Fo m (PYD-SF);
 In he p esen s udy, he PYD-SF was ansla ed om he
o iginal English e sion in o Po uguese language (and back
ansla ion), and a educed e sion (24 i ems) showing
easonable psychome ic p ope ies was used;
 Highe sco es indica e highe le els o PYD.
Heal hy Kids
Resilience Assessmen
Module (RES)
(Cons an ine & Bena d,
2001; Ma ins, 2007;
Simões, Ma os &
Mo gan, 2015)
Resilience
(2 dimensions:
ex e nal and in e nal
esou ces).
 18 i ems answe ed on a 4-poin scale;
 Ranges om 18 o 72;
 Highe sco es indica e highe le els o compe ences,
p o ec ion and esilience o ad e si y;
 In his s udy i was used he Po uguese Ve sion o he
ques ionnai e and i was only conside ed he in e nal esou ces
dimension.
Adolescen Sel -
Regula o y In en o y-
ASRI (SR)
(Dias, Cas illo, &
Moilanen, 2014;
Moilanen, 2007)
Sel - egula ion
(2 dimensions:
Sho e m-SR-ST
and Long e m-SR-
LT).
 36 i ems answe ed on a 5-poin Like scale;
 Ranges om 36 o 180;
 Highe alues indica e be e compe ences o sel - egula ion;
 In his s udy he ins umen was ansla ed om he o iginal
English e sion in o Po uguese language. I was hen e ised
by a g oup o specialized expe s wi hin his ield and a p e-
es wi h a g oup o s uden s was conduc ed in schools.
Posi i e You h De elopmen in Po ugal: A Tool owa ds Gende Equi y?
ARC Jou nal o Pedia ics Page | 28
S a e-T ai Anxie y
In en o y (STAI-T)
(Sil a & Spielbe ge ,
2007; Spielbe ge ,
Go such & Lushene,
1970)
Anxie y
(2 dimensions:
s a e-anxie y and
ai -anxie y).
 Two subscales: Y-1 (s a e-anxie y) and Y-2 ( ai -anxie y),
each one comp ising 20 i ems. S a e-anxie y e lec s answe s
ela ed o eeling anxie y in a speci ic momen , whe eas ai -
anxie y o usually eel anxie y.
 40 i ems answe ed on a 5-poin scale;
 In his s udy i was used he Po uguese Ve sion o he
ques ionnai e and only he i ems o he T ai dimension we e
included;
 Highe sco es indica e highe le el o anxie y.
Pe cei ed School
Pe o mance (PSP)
(WHO, 2016)
Pe cei ed School
Pe o mance
 Single i em measu e, whe e young people we e asked abou
wha , in hei opinion, hei class eache (s) hink(s) abou hei
school pe o mance compa ed o hei classma es;
 This measu e is a consis en and s ong p edic o o heal h and
well-being (Suldo, Riley, & Sha e , 2006);
 Responden s we e asked o a e hei answe s on a a ing scale
om one o ou ( e y good o below a e age).
2.3. Da a Analysis
Da a om Limesu ey was ans e ed o an
elec onic da a ile. All a iables we e checked
o da a inaccu acy by unning SPSS equencies,
and a e wa ds, an analysis on missing alues
was conduc ed. Desc ip i e analysis (means,
s anda d de ia ion and pe cen age) we e used o
cha ac e ize he sample. All da a we e es ed o
no mali y p io o any analyses using
Kolmogo o -Smi no es s, as well as Le ene's
es o he homogenei y o he a iance. An
independen T- es was conduc ed o de e mine
di e ences be ween gende (men/women) o
PYD-SF-PT (To al Sco e and i s dimensions),
and psychosocial a iables in Po uguese you hs.
Due o he obse ed di e ences, and a e es ing
and con i ming an exis en in e ac ion e ec
be ween age and gende , he linea eg ession
pe o med a e wa ds was conduc ed sepa a ed
by gende . Thus, linea eg ession was pe o med
o e alua e he impac o he psychosocial
a iables in PYD, sepa a ed o men and o
women. All s a is ical analyses we e comple ed
using he SPSS 24.0 (S a is ical Package o
Social Sciences) and he signi icance le el was
se a p<0.05.
3. RESULTS
The 2700 included adolescen s (26.7% males;
73.3% emale) had a mean age o 21.3 yea s
(SD=2.79). Mos o he pa icipan s had
Po uguese na ionali y (96.8%), we e bo n in
Lisbon (33.4%), we e li ing in an u ban a ea
(46.4%), we e g adua e s uden s (63.5%) and had
a middle socioeconomic s a us (SES) le el
(67.7%).
All he a iables included in his s udy a e
p esen ed in Table 2.
Table2. Socio-demog aphic cha ac e is ics,
psychosocial a iables, PYD-SF-PT and i s
5C/subscale dimensions o he o al g oup o you h.
To al G oup
N=2700
Socio-demog aphic
cha ac e is ics
Age (yea s) (M±SD)
21.30±2.79
Gende (%)
Male
26.7
Female
73.3
Socio-Economic S a us-SES
(%)
Low
13.1
Medium
67.7
High
19.2
Psychosocial a iables (M±SD)
SR
143.80±18.18
RES
55.58±8.034
STAI-T
45.24±9.23
PSP
2.83±0.77
PYD-SF-PT and i s dimensions
(M±SD)
PYD-CONFIDENCE
14.35±3.42
PYD-COMPETENCE
14.56±3.33
PYD-CONNECTION
13.57±2.91
PYD.CARING
16.73±2.50
PYD-CHARACTER
16.26±2.78
PYD-TOTAL SCORE
75.47±9.21
PSP: Pe cei ed School Pe o mance; PYD-SF-PT:
Posi i e You h De elopmen -Sho Fo m, Po uguese
educed Ve sion; RES: Resilience; SR: Sel -
egula ion; STAI-T: S a e-T ai Anxie y In en o y,
T ai .
The di e ences be ween gende (men/women)
o PYD-SF-PT (To al Sco e and i s dimensions),
and psychosocial a iables in Po uguese you hs
a e p esen ed in Table 3. The esul s show ha in
he p esen s udy women had s a is ically
signi ican ly highe alues when compa ed o
men, o he Psychosocial a iables Sel -
egula ion (144.97±18.33 s. 140.57±17.39),
Posi i e You h De elopmen in Po ugal: A Tool owa ds Gende Equi y?
ARC Jou nal o Pedia ics Page | 29
(2698) = -5.597, p=0.000, and Resilience
(55.87±8.10 s. 54.76±7.81), (2698)=-3.198,
p=0.001. In wha conce ns he PYD-SF-PT,
women had s a is ically signi ican ly highe
alues when compa ed o men, o he PYD-SF-
PT To al sco e (75.71±9.10 s. 74.80±9.47),
(2698)=-2.271, p=0.023, and in i s dimensions
Ca ing (16.90±2.43 s. 16.27±2.64), (2698)=-
5.842, p=0.000, and Cha ac e (16.38±2.79 s.
15.93±2.73), (2698)=-3.805, p=0.000.
Table3. Di e ences be ween gende (men/women) o PYD-SF-PT (To al Sco e and i s dimensions), and
psychosocial a iables in Po uguese you hs
Gende
Men (N=721)
Women (N=1979)
p
Psychosocial a iables (M±SD)
AR1
140.57±17.39
144.97±18.33
0.000***
RES1
54.76±7.81
55.87±8.10
0.001***
STAIT-T1
45.59±9.25
45.12±9.21
0.235
PSP1
2.86±0.87
2.82±0.74
0.147
PYD-SF-PT and i s dimensions (M±SD)
PYD-SF-PT To al Sco e1
74.80±9.47
75.71±9.10
0.023*
PYD-SF-PT Con idence1
14.49±3.52
14.30±3.38
0.212
PYD-SF-PT Compe ence1
14.63±3.42
14.53±3.30
0.509
PYD-SF-PT Connec ion1
13.49±2.82
13.59±2.95
0.433
PYD-SF-PT Ca ing1
16.27±2.64
16.90±2.43
0.000***
PYD-SF-PT Cha ac e 1
15.93±2.73
16.38±2.79
0.000***
1Tes ed by Independen T-Tes .
***p≤.001; **p≤.01; *p≤.05
PSP: Pe cei ed School Pe o mance; PYD-SF-PT: Posi i e You h De elopmen -Sho Fo m, Po uguese educed
Ve sion; RES: Resilience; SR: Sel - egula ion; STAI-T: S a e-T ai Anxie y In en o y, T ai .
Table4 Shows he esul s o he linea eg ession
analysis o PYD-SF-PT (To al Sco e and i s
dimensions) and psychosocial a iables in
Po uguese you hs, sepa a ed by gende (and
adjus ed by age and Socio Economic S a us -
SES).
Fo men [F (6,714) =38.176, p<0.001, R2=.237]
and women [F (6,1972) =96.434, p<0.001,
R2=.224] a model was achie ed o PYD-SF-PT
To al sco e. Fo bo h gende s, all he
psychosocial a iables, wi h he excep ion o
Pe cei ed School Pe o mance, had a
signi ican ly associa ion: men and women who
had highe Sel - egula ion, highe Resilience and
lowe Anxie y ended o ha e a highe PYD-SF-
PT To al sco e.
Fo men [F (6,714) =20.377, p<0.001, R2=.139]
and women [F (6,1972) =40.662, p<0.001,
R2=.107] a model was achie ed o he
dimension Con idence o PYD-SF-PT. Fo men,
Sel - egula ion, Anxie y and Pe cei ed School
Pe o mance had a signi ican ly associa ion: he
men who had highe Sel - egula ion, highe
Pe cei ed School Pe o mance and lowe
Anxie y ended o ha e a highe PYD-SF-PT in
he dimension Con idence. Fo women, only
Anxie y and Pe cei ed School Pe o mance had
a signi ican ly associa ion: he women who had
highe Pe cei ed School Pe o mance and lowe
Anxie y ended o ha e a highe PYD-SF-PT in
he dimension Con idence.
Fo men [F (6,714) =14.938, p<0.001, R2=.104]
and women [F (6,1972) =27.401, p<0.001,
R2=.074] a model was achie ed o he
dimension Compe ence o PYD-SF-PT. Fo men,
only Sel - egula ion and Anxie y had a
signi ican ly associa ion: he men who had highe
Sel - egula ion and lowe Anxie y ended o ha e
a highe PYD-SF-PT in he dimension
Compe ence. Fo women, Resilience, Anxie y
and Pe cei ed School Pe o mance had a
signi ican ly associa ion: he women who had
highe Resilience, highe Pe cei ed School
Pe o mance and lowe Anxie y ended o ha e a
highe PYD-SF-PT in he dimension
Compe ence.
Fo men [F (6,714) =47.626, p<0.001, R2=.280]
and women [F (6,1972) =123.702, p<0.001,
R2=.271] a model was achie ed o he
dimension Connec ion o PYD-SF-PT. Fo bo h
gende s all he psychosocial a iables had a
signi ican ly associa ion: he men and women
who had highe Sel - egula ion, highe
Resilience, highe Pe cei ed School
Pe o mance and lowe Anxie y ended o ha e a
highe PYD-SF-PT in he dimension Connec ion.
Fo men [F (6,714) =6.803, p<0.001, R2=.046]
and women [F (6,1972) =39.441, p<0.001,
R2=.104] a model was achie ed o he
dimension Ca ing o PYD-SF-PT. Fo men, only
Resilience and Anxie y had a signi ican ly

Posi i e You h De elopmen in Po ugal: A Tool owa ds Gende Equi y?
ARC Jou nal o Pedia ics Page | 30
associa ion: he men who had highe Resilience
and lowe Anxie y ended o ha e a highe PYD-
SF-PT in he dimension Ca ing. Fo women, all
psychosocial a iables had a signi ican ly
associa ion: he women who had highe Sel -
egula ion, highe Resilience, highe Pe cei ed
School Pe o mance and lowe Anxie y ended o
ha e a highe PYD-SF-PT in he dimension
Ca ing.
Fo men [F (6,714) =8.371, p<0.001, R2=.058]
and women [F (6,1972) =46.736, p<0.001,
R2=.122] a model was achie ed o he
dimension Cha ac e o PYD-SF-PT. Fo men,
Sel - egula ion, Resilience and Pe cei ed School
Pe o mance had a signi ican ly associa ion: he
men who had highe Sel - egula ion, Resilience
and Pe cei ed School Pe o mance ended o
ha e a highe PYD-SF-PT in he dimension
Cha ac e . Fo women, all psychosocial a iables
had a signi ican ly associa ion: he women who
had highe Sel - egula ion, highe Resilience,
highe Pe cei ed School Pe o mance and lowe
Anxie y ended o ha e a highe PYD-SF-PT in
he dimension Cha ac e .
Table4. Summa y o linea eg ession esul s o PYD-SF-PT (To al Sco e and i s dimensions), and psychosocial
a iables in Po uguese you hs, sepa a ed by gende
MEN
WOMEN
Va iables
B
SE B
β
Va iables
B
SE B
β
PYD-SF-PT
To al Sco e
AR
0.143
0.021
0.262***
AR
0.065
0.012
0.132***
RES
0.188
0.046
0.155***
RES
0.307
0.025
0.273***
STAIT-T
-0.157
0.038
-0.154***
STAIT-T
-0.180
0.023
-0.182***
PSP
0.703
0.369
0.065
PSP
0.243
0.256
0.020
R2
.237
R2
0.224
F
38.176***
F
96.434***
PYD-SF-PT
Con idence
AR
0.036
0.008
0.179***
AR
-0.002
0.005
-0.010
RES
0.020
0.018
0.044
RES
0.019
0.010
0.046
STAIT-T
-0.068
0.015
-0.180***
STAIT-T
-0.101
0.009
-0.275***
PSP
0.371
0.146
0.092*
PSP
0.384
0.102
0.084***
R2
0.139
R2
0.107
F
20.377***
F
40.662***
PYD-SF-PT
Compe ence
AR
0.031
0.008
0.159***
AR
0.003
0.005
0.016
RES
0.019
0.018
0.044
RES
0.048
0.010
0.117***
STAIT-T
-0.059
0.015
-0.158***
STAIT-T
-0.051
0.009
-0.143***
PSP
0.123
0.144
0.031
PSP
0.323
0.102
0.072**
R2
0.104
R2
0.074
F
14.938***
F
27.401***
PYD-SF-PT
Connec ion
AR
0.033
0.006
0.201***
AR
0.014
0.004
0.086***
RES
0.044
0.013
0.122**
RES
0.069
0.008
0.189***
STAIT-T
-0.080
0.011
-0.263***
STAIT-T
-0.107
0.007
-0.335***
PSP
0.511
0.107
0.158***
PSP
0.323
0.081
0.081***
R2
0.280
R2
0.271
F
47.626***
F
123.702***
PYD-SF-PT
Ca ing
AR
0.011
0.007
0.071
AR
0.022
0.003
0.166***
RES
0.066
0.014
0.196***
RES
0.083
0.007
0.278***
STAIT-T
0.038
0.012
0.134**
STAIT-T
0.054
0.007
0.207***
PSP
0.068
0.115
0.022
PSP
-0.184
0.074
-0.056*
R2
0.046
R2
0.104
F
6.803***
F
39.441***
PYD-SF-PT
Cha ac e
AR
0.032
0.007
0.202***
AR
0.029
0.004
0.189***
RES
0.039
0.015
0.111**
RES
0.088
0.008
0.255***
STAIT-T
0.011
0.012
0.039
STAIT-T
0.025
0.008
0.82**
PSP
-0.371
0.118
-0.118**
PSP
-0.603
0.084
-0.160***
R2
0.058
R2
0.122
F
8.371***
F
46.736***
No e. B (uns anda dized coe icien ) and SE (s anda d e o ); β: s anda dized coe icien s.
***p≤.001; **p≤.01; *p≤.05
Analyses we e adjus ed o age and Socio Economic S a us (SES).
PSP: Pe cei ed School Pe o mance; PYD-SF-PT: Posi i e You h De elopmen -Sho Fo m, Po uguese educed
Ve sion; RES: Resilience; SR: Sel - egula ion; STAI-T: S a e-T ai Anxie y In en o y, T ai .
Posi i e You h De elopmen in Po ugal: A Tool owa ds Gende Equi y?
ARC Jou nal o Pedia ics Page | 31
4. DISCUSSION
O e all, he p esen esul s ha e shown
simila i ies and di e ences o he impac o he
s udy psychosocial a iables in he PYD be ween
men and women. Fo he PYD-SF-PT To al
sco e, he same psychosocial a iables wi h
signi ican impac we e ound o bo h gende s:
Sel - egula ion, Resilience and Anxie y. Also o
he dimension Connec ion he signi ican
psychosocial a iables we e he same o all
gende s: Sel - egula ion, Resilience, Pe cei ed
School Pe o mance and Anxie y. In addi ion,
Anxie y had signi ican impac o he majo i y
o he PYD’s dimensions o bo h gende s. Such
indings ein o ce he ele ance o hese
a iables o Posi i e You h De elopmen
(Baumeis e & Vohs, 2003; Ng-Knigh e al.,
2017; Mischel, 2014; Schmid, Phelps, & Le ne ,
2011; Lee e al., 2012; Le ne e al., 2011), and
sugges a dynamic in e dependence be ween
Sel - egula ion, Resilience, Anxie y and
Pe cei ed School Pe o mance (A uch-Ga de e
al., 2017; Galla & Wood, 2015; Le ne e al.,
2013; Kolle & Ve ma, 2017). This
in e dependence is also in line wi h he idea
p oposed in he li e a u e ha no single ac o
p omo es esilience in isola ion, no a single
p og am o s a egy p o ides all you h
de elopmen oppo uni ies and suppo o being
success ul (A uch-Ga de e al., 2017; Kolle &
Ve ma, 2017). In a gene al iew, he linea
eg ession models e idences ha he p omo ion
o sel - egula ion, esilience and pe cei ed
school pe o mance, along wi h he educ ion o
anxie y can ha e a ele an impac o imp o ing
posi i e you h de elopmen o bo h gende s.
These indings ein o ce he need o con inue o
s udy posi i e indica o s, and o s eng hen
in e nal and ex e nal de elopmen al asse s
(Ca alano, Be glund, Ryan, Lonczak, &
Hawkins, 2004; Small & Memmo, 2004), as i is
sugges ed in he li e a u e o he las wo decades
(Lippman, Moo e, & McIn osh, 2011). The
p esen esul s a e, as well, in line wi h mo e
ecen heal h ecommenda ions, namely he need
o include psychosocial ac o s in complemen o
heal h indica o s (WHO, 2013). Fu he mo e,
esul s a e in acco dance wi h li e a u e, ha
poin ed ou he ele ance o s eng h-app oaches
(as he PYD) and psychosocial ac o s o
posi i e ou comes (Benson, Scales, Hamil on, &
Sesma, 2006; Le ne e al., 2005; Small &
Memmo, 2004).
Howe e , o he psychosocial a iables Sel -
egula ion, Resilience and Pe cei ed School
Pe o mance in he dimensions Con idence,
Compe ence, Ca ing and Cha ac e , mo e
a iabili y was obse ed be ween gende s. Fo
men, Sel - egula ion had a signi ican impac in
Con idence, Compe ence and Cha ac e ;
Resilience had a signi ican impac in Ca ing and
Cha ac e ; Pe cei ed School Pe o mance had a
signi ican impac o Con idence and Cha ac e .
Fo women, Sel - egula ion had a signi ican
impac o Ca ing and Cha ac e ; Resilience had
a signi ican impac o Compe ence, Ca ing and
Cha ac e ; Pe cei ed School Compe ence had a
signi ican impac o Con idence, Compe ence,
Ca ing and Cha ac e . Such esul s a e in line
wi h he li e a u e ha ou lined ha men and
women may di e en ially g oup heal h
beha iou s in o clus e s (Olson, Humme , &
Ha is, 2017). F om he p esen indings i is no
possible o conclude ha women epo poo e
ou comes, bu i is shown ha gene ally, women
end o ha e, simul aneously, mo e psychosocial
a iables impac ing PYD, han men. Di e en
in e naliza ion and ex e naliza ion pa e ns can
explain hese indings (Ca allo e al., 2006), as
well as social, demog aphic/en i onmen al
con ex s, and he pa en s/pee s in luence (Olson,
Humme , & Ha is, 2017), which we e no he
p ima y ocus o his s udy.
Globally, i is expec ed ha he indings o he
p esen s udy can help esea che s, educa o s and
p ac i ione s o be e unde s and he in e ac ion
be ween he s udy psychosocial a iables and
PYD in men and women. These esul s may
se e as a guide o plan in e en ions ha could
help you hs in he cons uc ion o a suppo i e
con ex , in o de o dec ease hei anxie y, and o
imp o e hei compe ences o sel - egula ion,
esilience, and pe cei ed school pe o mance.
While planning in e en ions, i is highligh ed
ha posi i e you h de elopmen is, basically, jus
an app oach and no a pa icula cu iculum o
p og am. This means ha i is a se o p ac ices
ha can be addi ionally included in o he
p og ams designed o achie e, mo e likely, one
o mo e posi i e ou comes (Moo e, 2017). In his
sense, i would be bene icial o wo k on ce ain
essen ial aspec s o hese a iables. Pa icula ly,
se ing ealis ic goals and lea ning om mis ake;
inc ease sel -con ol s a egies ( hough s,
emo ions, impulses and beha iou ); wo k on
you h’s s eng hs; dec ease anxie y; and
encou age posi i e adap a ion, ha can help o
cope posi i ely wi h ad e se si ua ions, so ha an
op imis ic li e plan can be buil , and make i easy
o a ain a happy and heal hy li e (Mishel, 2014).
Las ly, i is highligh ed ha you hs a e he mos
impo an asse s in he wo ld, hus, i is c ucial o
Posi i e You h De elopmen in Po ugal: A Tool owa ds Gende Equi y?
ARC Jou nal o Pedia ics Page | 32
con inue he s udy on he iden i ica ion o
indica o s o posi i e you h de elopmen . When
a posi i e de elopmen occu s, hey can powe o
bene i hemsel es, amilies, communi ies and
socie ies, and he consequen e ec s can las o
gene a ions. Thus, in es men s in you hs can
ep esen a highly cos -e ec i e oppo uni y
owa ds posi i e changes (Pe e sen, Kolle ,
Mo i-S e anidi, & Ve ma, 2017).
5. LIMITATIONS AND STRENGTHS
This s udy shows some limi a ions and he esul s
need o be in e p e ed wi h he ollowing issues
in mind. Recall bias migh be in oduced h ough
sel - epo , and some you hs may be unde -
ep esen ed, due o he g oup’s he e ogenei y.
The c oss-sec ional design o he s udy p ecludes
in e ences conce ning causali y and longi udinal
da a would be needed. Howe e , he p esen
s udy has nume ous s eng hs, namely including
sel - epo s om a la ge sample o you hs and
wi h well-de elopmen ally app op ia e
measu es, based on bo h in e na ional p ojec s,
namely he Posi i e You h De elopmen c oss-
na ional p ojec and he in e na ional su ey
Heal h Beha iou in School-aged Child en
(HBSC/WHO), in i s ex ension o Po uguese
Uni e si ies (HBSC/JUnP). In addi ion, i b ings
no el y b inging da a o inc ease he
unde s anding on he in e ac ion o se e al
ele an psychosocial a iables epo ed in he
li e a u e, o posi i e you h de elopmen .
Implica ions o Resea ch, Policy and P ac ice
In o hcoming s udies i would be impo an o
eplica e he p esen s udy a iables in speci ic
popula ions and o include o he
clinical/psychosocial a iables, aiming o
inc ease he knowledge o such in e ac ions o
men and women. Also he eplica ion in o he
coun ies would be in e es ing o be e
unde s and cul u al sensi i i y-issues.
Addi ionally, i can be sugges ed o wo k on he
iden i ica ion and de elopmen o c oss-cul u al
and coun y-le el adap able measu es o key
skills and common indica o s o posi i e you h
de elopmen . This would allow an e ec i e
compa ison ac oss p og ams and coun ies,
wo king owa ds a consensual in e na ional
amewo k in his a ea, which is also s a ed in he
li e a u e (Ca alano e al., 2012; Kolle & Ve ma,
2017).
Conside ing he limi a ions desc ibed be o e, i
would be also impo an o conduc longi udinal
s udies using mixed me hods app oaches, and o
inc ease, as well, an e alua ion o in e en ions
in holis ic you h p og ams, o be e unde s and
success and a eas needing imp o emen , and o
b ing e idenced-based esea ch. The knowledge
de i ed om hese da a may p o ide guidance
and suppo o social policies and mo e e ec i e
p og ams, once he in es iga ion o how holis ic
in e en ions can help u he PYD needs, mus
be a p io i y o esea che s, policymake s and
p ac i ione s.
To plan holis ic in e en ions comp ising se e al
indica o s and a iables and aking in o accoun
gende speci ici ies, i is needed an in eg a i e
pe spec i e, wi hin an in e disciplina y and
ansdisciplina y wo k. Beyond educa o s and
p ac i ione s, you hs should be also included in
he p ocess, in o de o hea hei “ oices” and
because i is ecognized ha au ho ship p omo es
you h’s sel - egula o y capaci ies and he
success ul you hs may be models and examples
in hei own communi ies. All con ex s should be
aken in o accoun and se ices would bene i
om links and ein o cemen s in he
en i onmen s whe e you hs spend hei ime,
namely amily, school and communi y se ings
(Kolle & Ve ma, 2017).
6. CONCLUSION
This chap e aimed o examine he associa ions
o PYD and i s dimensions wi h psychosocial
a iables, acco ding o gende . Fo bo h gende s,
he esul s showed signi ican di e ences and
simila i ies wi h he PYD’s o al sco e and i s
dimensions. Such indings ein o ce he
ele ance o s udying posi i e indica o s o
you h de elopmen , aking in o accoun gende
speci ici ies. In addi ion, i d aws a en ion o
po en ial p o ec i e ac o s o a posi i e you h
de elopmen , such as he dynamic
in e dependence be ween psychosocial a iables.
Mo e knowledge in his a ea can help heal h/
educa ion p o essionals and policy-make s o
be e plan in e en ions/policies. I is aimed o
imp o e an in eg al and gende -sensi i e heal hy
pe spec i e o you hs, based on in e disciplina y
and ansdisciplina y wo k.
FUNDING
The esea ch leading o his publica ion was co-
unded by di e en pa ial suppo s such as he
Founda ion o Science and Technology (FCT)
(G an s: Te esa San os - SFRH/BD/82066/2011
/J51280474607; Ma a Reis - SFRH/BPD/1109
05/2015), WJCR/ISPA, Ins i u o Uni e si á io;
ISAMB, FML/Uni e si y o Lisbon; FMH/
Uni e si y o Lisbon.
The William James Cen e o Resea ch, ISPA -
Ins i u o Uni e si á io is suppo ed by a g an
Posi i e You h De elopmen in Po ugal: A Tool owa ds Gende Equi y?
ARC Jou nal o Pedia ics Page | 33
om he Po uguese Founda ion o Science and
Technology (FCT) (G an Numbe : UID/PSI/
04810/2013).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A special hanks o all he uni e si ies, s uden s,
eache s and expe s who pa icipa ed in his
s udy. To Na ional expe s o hei collabo a ion
in e ising he me hodology and he used
ins umen s. To he HBSC/WHO ne wo k
(www.hbsc.o g) whose su ey was pa ially used
o his pu pose. To No a Wiium and he o he
colleagues om PYD in e na ional: h p://www.
uib.no/en/ g/sipa/pydc ossna ional o all suppo
and inspi a ion.
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