Influence of body build on hand grip strength, simple reaction time and strength of the abdominal muscles in prepubertal children.

The aim of the study was to assess whether the body build has an impact on hand grip strength, muscle endurance and time reaction in children. The material of the research were 376 children from 6.78 to 11.82 years old in 2018. Body weight, height, waist, hip and mid-upper-arm circumferences, triceps and subscapular folds were measured. The BMI, body fat and AHtR (arm-circumference-to-height ratio) were calculated. The hand grip strength, simple reaction time (Quickstick) and strength of the abdominal muscles (endurance) were tested. Two-way ANOVA and correlation analyses with significance level p < 0.05 were used. Children with normal BMI values are characterized by better simple reaction time than their obese peers, while overweight and obese children estimated on the basis of BMI, AHtR and body fat perform were better in hand grip strength. In the case of strength of the abdominal muscles, there were no differences in children with different body build. The normal build and body weight promotes the proper development of children, which also is reflected in the results of motor performance and fitness tests.

The Influence of Socioeconomic Factors on the Body Characteristics, Proportion, and Health Behavior of Children Aged 6-12 Years.

BACKGROUND: The research aimed to determine how socioeconomic factors influence the body structure and health behaviors of children in a suburban commune. METHODS: Data from 376 children aged 6.78 to 11.82 years from Jablonna, Poland, were analyzed. A questionnaire was used to gather information regarding the socioeconomic status and dietary habits of these children, and physical measurements such as height, weight, pelvic width, shoulder width, chest, waist, hip, and arm circumferences, and three skinfolds were taken. Hip index, pelvi-acromial index, Marty's index, BMI (body mass index), WHR (waist-hip ratio), and the sum of three skinfolds were calculated. One-way analysis of variance, Student's t-test, and X2 test with p < 0.05 were used. RESULTS: The size of the family and the level of education and occupation of the fathers had a significant impact on the body proportions of the children. Children from larger centers with more educated parents were seen to have healthier eating habits and higher levels of physical activity, and their parents were less likely to smoke cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that the development environment of the parents, such as their level of education and profession, play a more important role than the size of birthplace.

Trends in Parent-adolescent Communication in the Czech Republic between 2002 and 2014: Results of the HBSC Study.

OBJECTIVE: Good parent-child communication is associated with adolescent well-being. The aim of the present study was to report time trends in parent-adolescent communication in biological and stepfamilies in the Czech Republic between 2002 and 2014 and to assess gender and age differences. METHODS: The research sample consisted of 16,160 adolescents aged 11, 13, and 15 years (48.1% of boys) who participated in the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 surveys within the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in the Czech Republic. The trends in family communication were evaluated using logistic regression. RESULTS: Compared with 2002, a significant increase in the ease of communication with biological parents was observed in 2014. On the other hand, the adolescents' perception of communication with stepparents did not change in this period. Compared with the girls, a higher rate of boys reported communication with their father or stepfather as being easy throughout the study period. The ease of talking to biological parents decreased with age. CONCLUSION: The growing positive trend demonstrated an improvement in communication in intact families at the beginning of the 21st century, while communication with stepparents remained unchanged from 2002 to 2014. The increase in rates of ease of communication with biological fathers was reported by both genders. However, the ease of talking to biological mothers grew mainly among boys.

Determinants of Bullying at School Depending on the Type of Community: Ecological Analysis of Secondary Schools in Poland.

Ecological studies, when the school is the unit of analysis, may help to design and evaluate school intervention programs. The paper discusses selected contextual determinants of bullying, using data collected in Poland in 2015 and aggregated to school level (4085 students; 70 junior high schools). The main hypothesis is related to the neighborhood social capital as protective factor and the type of community as a modifier. The main dependent variable was the combined index of bullying which included three perspectives (victim, perpetrator, bystander). Student delinquent behavior was taken into account as potential determinant, along with selected characteristics of the school and neighborhood. The analyses were adjusted for the percentage of the surveyed boys. The overall bullying index ranged, depending on the school, from 0.88 to 4.07 points (out of 12 possible); intraclass coefficient ICC = 2.8%. In the entire sample, the main predictors of bullying were student delinquent behaviors as a risk factor and the school social climate as a protective factor (R2 = 56.3%). The stratification of schools due to their location influences the inference regarding those main determinants. The dominating influence of delinquent behavior is visible only in big cities where bullying index showed the highest dispersion. In smaller towns and rural areas, the neighborhood social capital becomes an important protective factor; highly correlated with the school climate. We can conclude that strong social bonds in the community are supportive for school climate and can reduce the level of bullying at schools.

[Association of the meaning of life with satisfaction, the occurrence of subjective complaints and the family's economic status in the population of lower secondary school students].

INTRODUCTION: Feeling of meaning in life is extremely crucial factor of mental health. The lack of it can result in various disorders. Many authors, especially those connected with current of humanistic psychology underline the teenagers' life sense. THE AIM: The aim of the paper was to examine the level of satisfaction with life, the frequency of psychosomatic complaints by junior high school students as well as the estimation of economical status of family and the analysis of meaning in life with above mentioned factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research was carried out in 2015 at 70 schools from all over the country, in group of 3695 lower secondary school students of I-III classes at the age of 13-17 (M=14,9; SD=0,87). The analysis connected with meaning in life using the shorten version of Purpose in Life Test (PIL) as well as analysis of life satisfaction using Cantril scale were taken up. What is more, the subjective physical complaints using single-factor shorten scale and economic status of family with the usage of material resources FAS scale (Family Affluence Scale) were examined. The statistical analysis included a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-student test post-hoc test as well as multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: The average level of meaning in life among the examined students was 24,7 points (the summary scale 0-36 points), the boys achieved higher score than girls. The students satisfied with life (t=28,0; p<0,001), with rare physical complaints (F=124,8; p<0,001) and from affluent families (F=15,4; p<0,001) were significantly characterized by higher average level of meaning in life than students who were dissatisfied with their life, often or fairly suffer from health complaints and live in families of at most average level of affluence. CONCLUSION: The meaning in life is positively connected with satisfaction with life, lack of subjective complaints and family affluence. Because there is a lack of analysis linked with school teenagers' meaning in life in Polish literature, another research involved not only shorten but also full version of this tool should be conducted.

Are Different Professionals Ready to Support Children of Parents with Mental Illness? Evaluating the Impact of a Pan-European Training Programme.

A training package (pre-tested in a pilot phase) about supporting children who have parents with a mental illness and/or with substance misuse (COPMI) was developed and delivered to 131 different professionals from six different European Countries. A questionnaire about importance, awareness and competence on the issue (8 items on knowledge and 15 items on skills) was developed and completed by participants before and after the training. The training was evaluated by participants as generally very successful in terms of improving the importance, awareness and competence of their knowledge and skills, with a statistically significant difference in the pre-/post-analyses (no decreases occurred). Different professional groups performed differently in the pre-training self-rating scores. The participants in some countries were mainly drawn from one professional group (i.e. teachers in Finland, social workers in Germany and psychologists in Poland). It was found that stigma was considered an extremely important concern even before the training, whilst country-specific legal issues were not taken into proper account in the training. Some possibilities for further refinement of the training programme are suggested.

The Relationship between Multiple Substance Use, Perceived Academic Achievements, and Selected Socio-Demographic Factors in a Polish Adolescent Sample.

Predictors of high-risk patterns of substance use are often analysed in relation to demographic and school-related factors. The interaction between these factors and the additional impact of family wealth are still new areas of research. The aim of this study was to find determinants of the most common patterns of psychoactive substance use in mid-adolescence, compared to non-users. A sample of 1202 Polish students (46.1% boys, mean age of 15.6 years) was surveyed in 2013/2014. Four patterns of psychoactive substance use were defined using cluster analysis: non-users-71.9%, mainly tobacco and alcohol users-13.7%, high alcohol and cannabis users-7.2%, poly-users-7.2%. The final model contained the main effects of gender and age, and one three-way (perceived academic achievement × gender × family affluence) interaction. Girls with poor perception of school performance (as compared to girls with better achievements) were at significantly higher risk of being poly-users, in both less and more affluent families (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 5.55 and OR = 3.60, respectively). The impact of family affluence was revealed only in interaction with other factors. Patterns of substance use in mid-adolescence are strongly related to perceived academic achievements, and these interact with selected socio-demographic factors.

Empowering families with the experience of mental illness. A presentation of the Polish version of CAMILLE training package. / Umacnianie rodzin z doswiadczeniem choroby psychicznej. Prezentacja polskiej wersji pakietu szkoleniowego CAMILLE.

The paper presents the CAMILLE training package prepared in the EU program Empowerment of Children and Adolescents of Mentally Ill Parents through Training of Professionals working with children and adolescents. The training is designed for psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, teachers and others working with children and adolescents where a parent experiences mental disorders. The project was realized on 4 stages: (1) pre-analyses (quality and quantity) with professionals, family members and people experiencing mental disorders, in regards to the needs, experiences and expectations in education of professionals working with families of parents with mental illness; (2) development of a new pan-European training program for specialists working with these families; (3) pre-pilot implementation and evaluation of the training; (4) preparing of the final version of the training and pilot implementation in 7 countries participating in the project, also in Poland. The training program consists of 9 subjects, divided into 3 main groups: the basic knowledge (mental disorders, child development, attachment), experiences and needs of the families (experiences of parents, children, stigma), methods of family support (talking with children, resilience, successful services). The pilot implementation of the program showed great professionals' interest in the subject and training methods. The evaluation showed significant positive effects of the training in terms of the raise of awareness of influence of the parent's illness on needs of the child, parental abilities and ability of building the child resilience. The CAMILLE training is a valuable program that can be implemented in Poland.

Social support and family communication as factors protecting adolescents against multiple recurrent health complaints related to school stress.

INTRODUCTION: One reason of increased psychological and somatic health problems in adolescence is intensification of stress in school and everyday life. There is little evidence to what extent the level of school achievements shapes this relationship. AIM: The aim of the study was to investigate determinants of subjective health complaints in schoolaged children, taking into account the interaction effects. METHODS: Anonymous survey was conducted in Poland in 2013/2014 on the sample of 4,545 students, as a part of the HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) study. On the basis of prevalence of eight symptoms in the past 6 months, a standardized index of health complaints (SCL - Subjective Complaints Checklist) was calculated (0-100). To predict its variability three hierarchical linear models (five blocks) were estimated, separately for three levels of school achievements. Support from family, classmates and teachers as well as family communication were considered as protective factors, which can reduce the negative impact of stress. All analyses were adjusted for age, gender and family affluence. RESULTS: The standardized SCL index was equal to 23.2 in boys and 32.5 in girls. The high level of school stress was reported by 28.5% boys and 35.6% girls, respectively. Regarding these two measures, similar patterns of change were observed, increase with age and with deterioration of academic achievement. Final multivariate models explained 22-25% variability of SCL, slightly more among worst students. Accumulation of low family support and high level of school stress caused the highest increase in the SCL index in very good students. CONCLUSIONS: School performance is an important determinant of subjective health complaints in adolescence, also modifying the impact of other risk and protective factors.

Needs, expectations and consequences for children growing up in a family where the parent has a mental illness.

The lack of pan-European guidelines for empowering children of parents with mental illness led to the EU project CAMILLE - Empowerment of Children and Adolescents of Mentally Ill Parents through Training of Professionals working with children and adolescents. The aim of this initial task in the project was to analyse needs, expectations and consequences for children with respect to living with a parent with mental illness from the perspective of professionals and family members. This qualitative research was conducted in England, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland and Scotland with 96 professionals, parents with mental illness, adult children and partners of parents with mental illness. A framework analysis method was used. Results of the study highlighted that the main consequences described for children of parental mental illness were role reversal; emotional and behavioural problems; lack of parent's attention and stigma. The main needs of these children were described as emotional support, security and multidisciplinary help. Implications for practice are that professionals working with parents with mental illness should be aware of the specific consequences for the children and encourage parents in their parental role; multi-agency collaboration is necessary; schools should provide counselling and prevent stigma.

[School performance as a mediator of the association between family affluence and risk behaviour in adolescents in Poland].

It can be assumed that family socioeconomic status does affect the frequency of undertaking risk behaviours by adolescents directly or indirectly, i.e. by having impact on other proven risk factors. The objective of the study was to show the combined influence of family affluence and school performance on alcohol consumption and tobacco and marijuana smoking, defined as risk behaviour syndrome. Material and Methods: The survey was conducted on a nationwide sample of 1,202 adolescents aged on average 15.6 years (SD=0.31), who participated in the HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) survey. Structural equation models were used in the analysis in order to test the hypothesis that school performance is a mediator of the association between family affluence and risk behaviour. Results: It was found that 23.0% of adolescents smoked tobacco; 40.8% drank alcohol; 10.2% smoked marijuana. One fifth of the respondents used one of those substances frequently, i.e. more than 5 days in the last month. It was shown that family affluence is strongly correlated with school performance (p<0.001), however, there was no direct relationship with the general level of psychoactive substance use (p=0.481). In analysing individual substances, only with regard to marijuana it was found that it was used less frequently in more affluent families. School performance resulted to be a stronger mediator of the relationship between family affluence and risk behaviour in girls (Sobel's test: p=0.013) than in boys (p=0.111). In the analysis of the social determinants of the health behaviour of adolescents, indirect correlations and confounding variables should be considered. Worse school performance may be the cause or effect of a more frequent psychoactive substance.

Teenagers' perception of being an active patient and putting the concept into practice.

AIM: To analyse the results of research on how adolescents understand the "active patient" concept, how often they undertake that role depending on gender and on whether they are suffering from a chronic disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research was conducted in a group of 14-15 year-olds. It comprised qualitative research (focus groups, N=24) concerning the way the concept of an "active patient" is understood and quantitative research (questionnaire study, N=716). The research tool was an anonymous authored questionnaire with questions concerning the role of the active patient and chronic illnesses. RESULTS: The idea of the "active patient" was not understandable to the teenagers, but they were able to enumerate many kinds of behaviours which are typical for such a patient. Among the 7 kinds of such behaviours, only two (presenting their ailments to the doctor and following the doctor's recommendations) were always or almost always followed by over half the respondents. The frequencies of undertaking behaviours typical for an active patient by girls and boys were similar. Teenagers with chronic diseases more often behaved actively during their visit to the doctor, but less frequently followed the doctor's recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: Few adolescents actively participate in the process of diagnosis and treatment. There is a need for early education of children and young people to become active patients, since such an attitude promotes health throughout one's lifetime. Such education is first of all the task of doctors and nurses, and it can be effective only if the inter-communication skills with patients are improved. It is a necessity to support young people with chronic diseases in their treatment and in coping with their disease.

Trends in overweight prevalence among 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds in 25 countries in Europe, Canada and USA from 2002 to 2010.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess recent changes in the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) among 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds in 33 countries from 2002 to 2010. METHODS: Data from 25 countries from three consecutive survey cycles (2002, 2006 and 2010) that had at least 80% response rate for self-reported height, weight and age were analysed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Overweight prevalence increased among boys in 13 countries and among girls in 12 countries; in 10 countries, predominantly in Eastern Europe, an increase was observed for both boys and girls. Stabilization in overweight rates was noted in the remaining countries; none of the countries exhibited a decrease over the 8-year period examined. In the majority of countries (20/25) there were no age differences in trends in overweight prevalence. CONCLUSION: In over half of the countries examined overweight prevalence did not change during 2002-2010. However, increasing overweight prevalence was noted in many Eastern European countries over this time period. Overweight prevalence remained high in several countries in Europe and North America. These patterns call for continued research in youth overweight and highlight the need to understand cross-national differences by examining macro-level indicators. Such research should feed into developing sound translations and practices to prevent and reduce overweight in youth.

Trends in adolescents' perceived parental communication across 32 countries in Europe and North America from 2002 to 2010.

BACKGROUND: The quality of communication with parents is a determinant of health and well-being during adolescence, being predictive of self-esteem, self-rated health and the ability to navigate health risk behaviours. METHODS: This article describes trends in adolescent's (aged 11, 13 and 15 years) perception of communication with mothers and fathers by gender across 32 European and North American countries from 2002 to 2010. Analyses were performed on 425 699 records employing a General Linear Model (MANOVA). RESULTS: In most countries, significant increases in the prevalence of ease of communication with both mothers and fathers were observed, with the greatest positive changes over time in Estonia, Denmark and Wales. In some countries, the opposite trend was found with the greatest negative changes occurring in France, Slovenia and Poland. Across the pooled dataset, a significant positive trend was observed for ease of communication with father, for both boys and girls and for ease of communication with mother for boys only. CONCLUSION: The temporal trends demonstrated an increase in a positive health asset for many young people, that of family communication. Positive trends may be a feature of the economic boom over the past decade coupled with cultural changes in attitudes to parenting, especially fathering.

Supportive communication with parents moderates the negative effects of electronic media use on life satisfaction during adolescence.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the impact of electronic media (EM) use on teenagers' life satisfaction (LS) and to assess the potential moderating effect of supportive communication with parents (SCP). METHODS: Data were drawn from the cross-national Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study (2009/2010) in Canada, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Israel, The Netherlands, Poland and Scotland. Sample size: 53,973 students aged 11-15 years. RESULTS: More hours per day spent on the computer were associated with lower LS; more EM communication with friends with higher LS. This relationship became negative if EM use reached and exceeded a certain threshold. SCP moderated the effect of EM communication with friends, but not computer use for the total sample. SCP seems to be more important than computer use or EM communication with friends for LS and it seems to buffer negative effects of EM use. CONCLUSIONS: Communication with parents seems to buffer the negative effects of EM use on LS during adolescence. Higher computer use was related to lower LS, but "optimal" frequency of EM communication with friends was country specific.

Physical activity as a factor protecting teenage boys from tobacco and marihuana use.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to answer the question if physical activity protects teenagers from psychoactive substance use, and whether this relationship depends on gender and activity intensity and frequency. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in 2013/14 as part of the international HBSC study (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children), using the method of auditorium survey, conducted among a random sample of Polish teenagers. In the analysis, only answers of the oldest group of respondents (1484 students aged 14.6-16.5) were taken into consideration. Girls constituted 52.8% of the sample; 75.6% of pupils attended 3rd grade of lower secondary school. The research tool was an international questionnaire containing, among others, questions about physical activity (moderate and intense) and the use of psychoactive substances (tobacco, alcohol, marihuana) within 30 days prior to the survey. RESULTS: In respect to both moderate and intense physical activity, boys were more active than girls (p<0.001). Within 30 days preceding the study, 39.0% of respondents drank alcohol, 23.5% smoked cigarettes, and 10.7% smoked marihuana. Among the group of boys, the more physical activity they undertook, the less they smoked tobacco and used marihuana. With regard to alcohol in boys and among girls, for all psychoactive substances, association with physical activity has not been confirmed. The chance of abstinence from cigarettes and marihuana rose about 2-4 times in boys who devoted at least one hour four times a week to moderate physical activity. CONCLUSION: Physical activity protects boys from tobacco and marihuana use. Preventive programs designed to reduce these psychoactive substances use should engage teenagers in physical activity.

The feelings of adolescents connected with medical visits and their perception of the physicians' behaviour.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze research results relating the feelings of adolescents connected with their medical visit and their perception of the physician's behaviour in treating them as patients during the visit. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The research was conducted on a group of 14-15-year-olds (N=716), students of lower secondary schools located in 5 voivodeships. The research instrument was an anonymous authored questionnaire with questions concerning their last visit at the physician's: its time, purpose, and feelings connected with the visit, as well as reasons for these feelings and the variety of the physician's behaviours conducive to good communication with the adolescent patient. RESULTS: More than half (56%) of the respondents visited the physician within the previous 3 months, 64% because of illness, complaints or injury. The visit was accompanied by a range of different feelings, in most cases indifference (32%) and relief (21%). However, every seventh teenager showed anxiety and fear. The justification of these feelings varied and related to: the physician as a person, the physician's behaviour, the expectations and beliefs of the teenagers, the behaviour of other patients and the functioning of the healthcare system. Most of the teenagers (70-87%) decided that the physician undertook 8 out of the 11 ways of behaving named in the questionnaire as promoting good communication with the patient. Most physicians provided information about results of the study, used understandable words and actively listened to patients. The behaviours undertaken least often were asking encouraging questions and taking interest in the patient as an individual. Every fifth teenager was not examined in a way that showed respect to his/her privacy. CONCLUSIONS: Most young patients view the physician's behaviour towards them in a positive way. It should be pointed out to physicians how important it is to encourage adolescents to ask questions, treat them as individuals and respect their privacy.

How well do Polish teenagers meet health behaviour guidelines?

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of meeting health behaviour guidelines regarding eating breakfast, fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity and to identify adolescents who accumulate the unhealthy behaviours. SUBJECT AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study was conducted in 2008 in adolescents aged 13-year-old (N = 574). They self-reported their physical activity (MVPA--Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity), regularity of breakfast eating and fruit and vegetable consumption. The adherence to physical activity and nutritional guidelines were described. Relationships between dependant variables and sex and place of residence were examined. Cluster analysis was used to identify subgroups of youths whose accumulate the unhealthy behaviours. RESULTS: The proportion of adolescents who met each health recommendation varied: 69% ate breakfast on 5 school days, 46.9% consumed at least once a day fruit and vegetable and 27.5% performed recommended daily physical activity. Boys were significantly more active (p < 0.001) and ate breakfast more frequently than girls (p < 0.04). A gender difference in fruit and vegetable intake was not statistically significant. Only 11.5% of adolescents fulfilled all three recommendations, more often boys than girls (p = 0.020). Almost 54% of adolescents had multiple unfavorable health behaviours, and 14,1% all three of them - significantly more often girls than boys (p = 0.011). For adolescents with two risk behaviours, the most prevalent cluster was formed by not meeting the physical activity and fruit and vegetable recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: The unhealthy behaviours tend to accumulate among teenagers - more often in girls than in boys, becoming the risk factors for different chronic diseases. Widespread dissemination of healthy lifestyle guidelines among adolescents, their parents and teachers, and undertake interventions aimed to reduce unhealthy behaviours could bring health benefits in the future.

Changes in family socio-economic status as predictors of self-efficacy in 13-year-old Polish adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine the impact that raised mother's education and a relative change in family affluence might have on adolescent general self-efficacy (GSE). METHODS: Data on 600 children born in Poland in January 1995 and their families were used. Data from early childhood and adolescence (2008) were considered and the change between these two periods was determined. RESULTS: Family affluence increased in 37.3 % of families with mothers, who had raised their education level (12.6 % of the sample), in comparison to 26.8 % in the group with no change, p < 0.001. The average GSE scores in those groups were 73.4 and 68.1, respectively, p < 0.001. In the best linear regression model adjusted for gender, the independent predictors of GSE turned out to be mother's education change and the family's current affluence. CONCLUSIONS: Raised mother's education level may encourage building up developmental assets in older children. Based on the structural model, where self-efficacy is the mediator of the relationship between socio-economic status change and the quality of life (KIDSCREEN-10) these results may be of importance in further research.

[Selected family socio-economic factors as predictors of peer violence among school children in Poland]. / Wybrane czynniki spoleczno-ekinomiczne srodowiska rodzinnego jako predyktory przemocy rówiesniczej wsród mlodziezy szkolnej w Polsce.

AIM: Analyses concerning peer violence among girls and boys aged 13-17 years, in the context of socio- -economic characteristics of the family: family structure, parental employment status and perceived family wealth. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Preliminary data from the recent HBSC studies conducted in 12 voivodeships in Poland in 2013 was used. The analyzes concerned 2300 students aged 13-17 years (45% boys) and focused on the following types of violence: being a perpetrator and a victim of bullying, participation in fights and cyberbullying. Chi-square test analysis and multivariate logistic regression models were used. RESULTS: Significantly more boys than girls experienced bullying (28% vs. 22%) and was perpetrators of violence in the school (39% vs. 25%). The youth from single-parent families significantly more often than students from two-parent families, participated in fights and was the perpetrators of violence in the school. Being a perpetrator and a victim of violence concerned mostly students from poor families and boys, whose father was unemployed. The following risk factors was identified- among boys: low economic status of the family (victims of bullying) and single-parent family (victims of cyberbullying), father's unemployment (the perpetrator of bullying) and age 13-14 years (victims and perpetrators of bullying, participation in fights) and among girls: low economic status of the family (cyberbullying), mother's unemployment and age 13-14 years (victims of violence). CONCLUSIONS: The family socio-economic factors, gender and age determine the type and the prevalence of peer violence. Low economic status of the family and single-parent family increases the risk of experiencing violence. For the prevention of bullying the educational role of the father and his commitment to family budget are important.