Applied Psychology

Applied Psychology

Modeling Adolescents’ Problem Behaviors Based on Personality Structure: the Mediating Role of Deviant Dependence on Peers

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mahdiye Ajam Zibad 1
Isaac Rahimian-Boogar 2
Siavash Talepasand 3
1 Master's degree in clinical psychology, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Health Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.
3 Professor, Educational Psychology, Department of Educational Psychology, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.
10.48308/apsy.2025.237465.1722
Abstract
Aim: Engagement in problem behaviors is one of the most common behavioral problems in adolescence. This research was conducted with the purpose of modeling problem behaviors based on personality structure with the mediating role of deviant dependence on peers.
 
Method: The current research design was correlational. All students aged 14 to 17 in Zaveh City in 1402–1403 constituted the statistical population of this study (N = 4423). The participants were 410 students (142 boys and 268 girls) who were selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. The participants responded to the Problem Behavior Questionnaire (Yuan et al., 2022), the Adolescent Personality Structure Questionnaire (Benzi et al., 2022), and the Deviant Peer Affiliation Scale (Song et al., 2014). Hypotheses were tested by structural equation modeling.
 
Results: The findings showed that the structural model of problem behaviors based on personality structure with the mediating role of deviant dependence on peers had a good fit. Personality structure had a direct negative effect on problem behavior (-0.38), and deviant dependence on peers had a direct positive effect on problem behavior (0.14). The mediating role of deviant dependence on peers (-0.092) was confirmed in the relationship between personality structure and problem behavior, all of which were significant (P < 0.05).
 
Conclusion: Personality structure is one of the antecedents of problem behavior in adolescents. Deviant dependence on peers facilitates adolescents' problem behaviors. The role of these factors should be considered in the design and implementation of prevention and control interventions for problematic behaviors.
Keywords
Problem Behavior
Personality Structure
Deviant Dependence
Peers
Subjects
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