The impact of stress and coping strategies on life satisfaction in a national sample of adolescents: A structural equation modelling approach.

Although stress strongly predicts life satisfaction, the psychosocial mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. To investigate the possible mediating role of coping, we conducted a cross-sectional study that assessed youths' life stress levels, propensity to engage in three different coping styles (i.e., active coping, internal coping, & withdrawal), ​and life satisfaction in a probabilistic, two-stage stratified cluster sample of 1830 high school seniors (986 females; age range: 17-22 years old) from 26 schools in or around the four largest cities in Croatia. We used correlational analyses and structural equation modelling to test the hypothesis that coping mediates the relation between stress and life satisfaction. The tested model was marginally acceptable: χ2  = 1613.85, df = 177, p < 0.001, goodness-of-fit-index = 0.92, Comparative Fit Index = 0.91, Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.89, root mean square error of approximation = 0.067 (90% CI = 0.064 to 0.070), standardized root mean squared residual = 0.056. As hypothesized, stress was related to life satisfaction directly (ßc' = -0.22, p < 0.01) but also indirectly (ßab = -0.05, p < 0.01) by affecting youths' likelihood of engaging in withdrawal behaviours, such as avoiding problems, distracting, or using anger, alcohol, or drugs. The proportion of the total effect mediated by withdrawal was 19.4%. In contrast, neither active nor internal coping were significant mediators. Based on these results, we conclude that preventive and educational programs for enhancing youth mental health may benefit from reducing adolescents' stress levels and stress-related withdrawal behaviour, and by encouraging youth to use active coping strategies instead.

Reference intervals for six salivary cortisol measures based on the Croatian Late Adolescence Stress Study (CLASS).

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this nested study is to provide the reference intervals for already published measurements of salivary cortisol from the Croatian Adolescence Stress Study (CLASS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 969 individuals (372 males and 597 females) were included in the reference sample (age range: 18-21 years). Salivary cortisol concentrations were determined by the enzyme immunoassay (LUCIO-Medical ELISA Salivary Cortisol Kit, Nal von Minden, Germany) in the Department of Medical Laboratory Diagnostics, University Hospital Split. Nonparametric statistics were used for calculating the reference intervals (RIs) and 90% confidence intervals (90% CIs). RESULTS: The lower limits of RIs determined by the direct method were higher in females (> 10%) than in males for the cortisol concentrations at awakening (SCC0), 30 to 45 after awakening (SCC30-45) and at bedtime (SCCbedtime). The upper limits of RIs for the SCCbedtime were higher (> 10%) in males than in females. Females also had higher upper limits of RIs for the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and the diurnal cortisol slope (DCS) and higher lower limits of RIs for the CAR and the area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCG). The lower limits of RIs for the DCS were higher in males than in females. CONCLUSIONS: Obtained reference values open the arena for introducing salivary bioscience in Croatian clinical laboratory practice and provide important data for better understanding of gender differences in adaptation to stress during late adolescence.

Review of Croatian genetic heritage as revealed by mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosomal lineages.

The aim of this review is to summarize the existing data collected in high-resolution phylogenetic studies of mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome variation in mainland and insular Croatian populations. Mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms were explored in 721 individuals by sequencing mtDNA HVS-1 region and screening a selection of 24 restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), diagnostic for main Eurasian mtDNA haplogroups. Whereas Y chromosome variation was analyzed in 451 men by using 19 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)/indel and 8 short tandem repeat (STR) loci. The phylogeography of mtDNA and Y chromosome variants of Croatians can be adequately explained within typical European maternal and paternal genetic landscape, with the exception of mtDNA haplogroup F and Y-chromosomal haplogroup P* which indicate a connection to Asian populations. Similar to other European and Near Eastern populations, the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups in Croatians were H (41.1%), U5 (10.3%), and J (9.7%). The most frequent Y chromosomal haplogroups in Croatians, I-P37 (41.7%) and R1a-SRY1532 (25%), as well as the observed structuring of Y chromosomal variance reveal a clearly evident Slavic component in the paternal gene pool of contemporary Croatian men. Even though each population and groups of populations are well characterized by maternal and paternal haplogroup distribution, it is important to keep in mind that linking phylogeography of various haplogroups with known historic and prehistoric scenarios should be cautiously performed.

The population history of the Croatian linguistic minority of Molise (southern Italy): a maternal view.

This study examines the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity of the Croatian-speaking minority of Molise and evaluates its potential genetic relatedness to the neighbouring Italian groups and the Croatian parental population. Intermatch, genetic distance, and admixture analyses highlighted the genetic similarity between the Croatians of Molise and the neighbouring Italian populations and demonstrated that the Croatian-Italian ethnic minority presents features lying between Croatians and Italians. This finding was confirmed by a phylogeographic approach, which revealed both the prevalence of Croatian and the penetrance of Italian maternal lineages in the Croatian community of Molise. These results suggest that there was no reproductive isolation between the two geographically proximate, yet culturally distinct populations living in Italy. The gene flow between the Croatian-Italians and the surrounding Italian populations indicate, therefore, that ethnic consciousness has not created reproductive barriers and that the Croatian-speaking minority of Molise does not represent a reproductively isolated entity.