Profiles of Maladjustment and Interpersonal Risk Factors in Adolescents

Inmaculada Méndez; Cecilia Ruiz-Esteban; Gloria Soto; Lucía Granados Alos; Mercedes Matás-Castillo

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.686451

Profiles of Maladjustment and Interpersonal Risk Factors in Adolescents

Front Psychol. 2021 Jun 22:12:686451. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.686451. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Inmaculada Méndez¹, Cecilia Ruiz-Esteban¹, Gloria Soto², Lucía Granados Alos³, Mercedes Matás-Castillo¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Evolutionary Developmental and Educational Psychology, Campus Regional Excellence Mare Nostrum, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
² Department of Research Methods and Diagnosis in Education, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
³ Department of Education, Valencian International University, Valencia, Spain.

Abstract

The individual's adaptation problems can lead to risky behaviors such as drug use. This study aimed to analyze the existence of different adaptation profiles (personal, school, and social) in adolescents. Thus, the study aimed to analyze the existence of significant differences in interpersonal risk factors depending on the degree of adaptation. The study participants were 1,201 students of Compulsory Secondary Education (M = 14.43, SD = 1.43), and 50.6% were girls. The TAMAI Test (multifactorial adaptation self-evaluation test) and the FRIDA questionnaire (Interpersonal Risk Factors for Drug Use in Adolescence) were used. A latent class analysis (LCA) revealed three different types of adaptation: maladjusted group, at-risk group, and adjusted group. The results showed the existence of significant differences between the different adaptation profiles based on interpersonal risk factors. The data obtained will help school and mental health plans to prevent misbehaving or risky behaviors.

Keywords: adolescence; drug; maladjustment; mental health; risk factors.