Youths’ attitudes about life issues and family - A multiple cultural study of greek and swedish adolescents and greek young adults
S. LEKKOU*, T. ÅSTRÖM**, B. HÄGGLÖF***, L. NYGREN****
*PhD, LSW, ΤΕΙ of Athens
**Emeritus Prof. Department of Social Welfare, Umeå University, Sweden
***Prof. Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Umeå University, Sweden
****Prof. Department of Social Welfare, Umeå University, Sweden

This interview study examined attitudes about life issues and family in Greek and Swedish adolescents and Greek young adults. The aim was to see how adolescents and young adults orient themselves to life and the family. Two samples of 583 Swedish and 238 Greek school-aged adolescents aged 13 through 18 years were selected to participate in a larger study. These were students at a Junior High and a High School in the town of Lycksele close to the University town of Umeä Sweden and the Greek sample was selected from three High schools and three Lyceums in Patras Greece. From these ethnic samples, a smaller sample was recruited to represent socio demographic strata in the study areas from adolescents who reported either high or low on Achenbach’s Youth Self Report -47 Greeks and 47 Swedes- were selected for semi-structured interviews. An interview guide with semi-structured questions was created to gather information about youth’s life attitudes. The questions addressed a broad spectrum of everyday life issues to understand  how youths orient  themselves to life, -the central themes of an adolescent life,- and the basic codes of behavior related to family and culture. For the same reasons in a random sample of 110 Greek young adults, students of a Department of TEI of Athens, School of Health and Care faculty, a semi-structured questionnaire was delivered to see how they orient themselves to life and future family in a pilot study.

Results and discussion: With respect to attitudes about life issues Greek youths reported more problems related to self, more fears of social dangers, losses, and illness. In addition, they turned more often to their family for support during difficult times. More Greek youths believed in God than their Swedish counterparts. The two groups identified similar family problems. The Swedes reported more fear about their future, and tended to trust public authorities more during times of difficulty. Greek adolescents revealed social concerns fears about the future and social dangers and using own coping and family support to face these issues.

They both emphasised the importance of social and career position. Swedes, however, more often expressed a desire to have a family within five years. We recommend that counselling be offered in schools to provide students with life skills, and to improve communication with their parents. This support should help parents and children face relational and behavioural issues of adolescents.

Greek young adults reported problems related to self, family, economic situation, career position and substance use. They reported fears in relation to self, future career, 74% think of having own family. About free sex and consequences their attitudes were more negative, about fleeting love, half are negative and 34% neutral. About cohabitation they reported important positive and negative attitudes, although half of them were economically responsible but for 20% their parents were. 43% hope to become parents around 30, although they find it difficult for personal and social reasons. They wished for themselves creating a good family and having career position according to their training. Encephalos 2011, 48(1):34-48.

Key words: Αdolescents, young adults, problems, fears, coping, life-family attitudes, cross cultural.