Behavioral problems and their correlates in adolescence: Longitudinal study

Abstract

This paper presents findings of a one-year follow-up longitudinal study of problem behaviors and their correlates. The sample included 494 pupils in the fifth, the sixth and the seventh grade of elementary school in the first wave of data collection, and 269 of them participated in the second wave. It was found that problem behaviors increase in frequency with age. Boys express higher levels of problem behaviors than girls. Statistically significant predictors of concurrent problem behaviors are conflict with parents, peer pressure to accept socially disapproved behaviors, negative school experience and excessive control by father. The longitudinal findings that problem behaviors predict negative school experience one year later, when controlled at the initial levels of school experience, and that excessive control by father and peer pressure predict problem behaviors one year later, when controlled at the initial level of problem behaviors, suggest bidirectional influence between problem behaviors and their correlates.

Keywords

• problem behaviors
• adolescents
• parent-child relationship
• school
• peer relations