Volume 12 - Articles-1401                   MEJDS (2022) 12: 159 | Back to browse issues page

XML Persian Abstract Print

Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Moghaddam K, Bashardoost S, Saberi H. A Structural Model to Risky Behaviors in 14-17 Years Old Adolescents Based on Anxiety Sensitivity Mediated by Self-acceptance. MEJDS 2022; 12 :159-159
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-2149-en.html
A Structural Model to Risky Behaviors in 14-17 Years Old Adolescents Based on Anxiety Sensitivity Mediated by Self-acceptance
Kimia Moghaddam1 , Simin Bashardoost *2 , Hayedeh Saberi3
1- PhD Student in General Psychology, Department of Psychology, Rudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Rudehen, Iran
2- Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Rudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Rudehen, Iran
3- Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Rudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Rudehen, Iran
Abstract:   (1510 Views)

Background & Objectives: One of the fundamental problems that adolescents face is the occurrence of high-risk behaviors. These behaviors are destructive and maladaptive that have adverse physical, psychological, and social consequences for the individual. Self-acceptance is a direct behavioral strategy such as effective problem-oriented coping that affects adolescents' adjustment and thus may have a direct effect on adolescents' high-risk behaviors. Conditional self-worth is one of the factors that causes anxiety and stress, while unconditional self-acceptance provides individual adjustment. Anxiety sensitivity explains the predisposition of people to fear and catastrophic interpretations of anxiety symptoms and causes the persistence of anxiety disorders, as one of the etiological factors involved in anxiety disorders. This study aimed to present a structural model of risky behaviors in adolescents based on anxiety sensitivity mediated by self-acceptance.
Methods: The present study was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of the study included all adolescents aged 14 to 18 years living in Tehran City, Iran in the academic year of 2017-2018. Of whom, 500 people were selected by convenience sampling from schools. Out of these students, 496 were eligible for analysis. The inclusion criteria were volunteer participation, adolescents in primary and secondary high school, aged 14 to 18 years, and no history of receiving psychological treatment. The exclusion criteria were incomplete answers to the questionnaires and lack of consent to continue cooperating in the research. The study tools included the Risky Behaviors Questionnaire (Mohammadkhani, 2007), Unconditional Self-Acceptance Questionnaire (Chamberlain & Haaga, 2001), and the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (Reiss et al., 1986). The Pearson correlation test and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data with SPSS and AMOS software. The significance level of the tests was considered 0.05.
Results: In the present study, the results showed that the total path coefficient between anxiety sensitivity and risky behaviors was positive and significant (p=0.001, β=0.27). The path coefficient between conditional self-acceptance and risky behaviors was positive and significant (p=0.001, β=0.32). The path coefficient between unconditional self-acceptance and risky behaviors was negative and significant (p=0.001, β= -0.28). The indirect path coefficient between anxiety sensitivity and risky behaviors mediated by conditional and unconditional self-acceptance was positive and significant (p=0.001, β= 0.150). Also, the hypothesized model had fitness with the collected data (χ2=164.15, CFI=0.954, GFI=0.951, AGFI=0.919, and RMSEA=0.071).
Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, anxiety sensitivity significantly predicts high-risk behaviors in adolescents with the mediation of conditional and unconditional self-acceptance.

Keywords: Self-acceptance, Risky behavior, Anxiety sensitivity
Full-Text [PDF 862 kb]   (518 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Psychology
References
1. Keating DP, I. Demidenko M, Kelly D. Cognitive and neurocognitive development in adolescence. In: Reference module in neuroscience and biobehavioral psychology. Elsevier; 2019. [DOI]
2. Heberle AE, Thomann CRB, Carter AS. Social and emotional development theories. In: Benson JB, editor. Encyclopedia of infant and early childhood development. Oxford: Elsevier; 2020. pp: 173–82. [DOI]
3. Gabriel P, Mastracchio T-A, Bordner K, Jeffrey R. Impact of enriched environment during adolescence on adult social behavior, hippocampal synaptic density and dopamine D2 receptor expression in rats. Physiology & Behavior. 2020;226:113133. [DOI]
4. Echazu L, Nocetti D. Understanding risky behaviors during adolescence: a model of self-discovery through experimentation. International Review of Law and Economics. 2019;57:12–21. [DOI]
5. Kaur A, Yusof N, Awang-Hashim R, Ramli R, Dalib S, Sani MAM, et al. The role of developmental assets for prosocial behaviours among adolescents in Malaysia. Children and Youth Services Review. 2019;107:104489. [DOI]
6. Zadeh Mohammadi A, Ahmadabadi Z, Heidari M. Construction and assessment of psychometric features of Iranian Adolescents Risk-Taking Scale. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology. 2011;17(3):218–25. [Persian] [Article]
7. Ahmadi H, Moeini M. An investigation of the relationship between social skills and high risk behaviors among the youth: the case of Shiraz city. Strategic Research on Social Problems in Iran University of Isfahan. 2015;4(1):1–24. [Persian] [Article]
8. Behzadpoor S, Sadat Motahhary Z, Godarzy P. The relationship between problem solving and resilience and high risk behavior in the students with high and low educational achievement. Journal of School Psychology. 2014;2(6-24/4):25–42. [Persian] [Article]
9. Esmaeilpour K, Farzaneh A. Prediction of emotional and educational adjustment of students based on family functioning dimensions. Journal of Instruction and Evaluation. 2019;11(44):103–18. [Persian] [Article]
10. Ammerman BA, Steinberg L, McCloskey MS. Risk-taking behavior and suicidality: the unique role of adolescent drug use. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2018;47(1):131–41. [DOI]
11. Hajitabar Firouzjaee M, Sheykholreslami A, Talebi M, Barq I. Impact of the meaning in life on students’ school adjustment by mediating problem-focused coping and self-acceptance. Journal of Educational Psychology Studies. 2019;16(34):59–76. [Persian] [DOI]
12. Tibubos AN, Köber C, Habermas T, Rohrmann S. Does self-acceptance captured by life narratives and self-report predict mental health? A longitudinal multi-method approach. Journal of Research in Personality. 2019;79:13–23. [DOI]
13. Paloș R, Vîșcu L. Anxiety, automatic negative thoughts, and unconditional self-acceptance in rheumatoid arthritis: a preliminary study. ISRN Rheumatol. 2014;2014:317259. [DOI]
14. Vasile C. An evaluation of self-acceptance in adults. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2013;78:605–9. [DOI]
15. Arabnejad S, Mafahkeri A, Ranjbar MJ. The role of family cohesion and self-worth in predicting tendency towards risky behavior in adolescents. Journal of Psychological Studies. 2018;14(1):147–62. [Persian] [DOI]
16. Marbell-Pierre KN, Grolnick WS, Stewart AL, Raftery-Helmer JN. Parental autonomy support in two cultures: the moderating effects of adolescents’ self-construals. Child Dev. 2019;90(3):825–45. [DOI]
17. Van Petegem S, Brenning K, Baudat S, Beyers W, Zimmer-Gembeck MJ. Intimacy development in late adolescence: longitudinal associations with perceived parental autonomy support and adolescents’ self-worth. Journal of Adolescence. 2018;65:111–22. [DOI]
18. Graham RA, Weems CF. Identifying moderators of the link between parent and child anxiety sensitivity: the roles of gender, positive parenting, and corporal punishment. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2015;43(5):885–93. [DOI]
19. Dalimonte-Merckling D, Williams JM. Parenting styles and their effects. In: Benson JB, editor. Encyclopedia of infant and early childhood development. Oxford: Elsevier; 2020. pp: 470–80. [DOI]
20. Page CE, Coutellier L. Adolescent stress disrupts the maturation of anxiety-related behaviors and alters the developmental trajectory of the prefrontal cortex in a sex- and age-specific manner. Neuroscience. 2018;390:265–77.
21. Wei C, Kendall PC. Parental involvement: contribution to childhood anxiety and its treatment. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2014;17(4):319–39. [DOI]
22. Sherwood A, Carydias E, Whelan C, Emerson DL-M. The explanatory role of facets of dispositional mindfulness and negative beliefs about worry in anxiety symptoms. Personality and Individual Differences. 2020;160:109933. [DOI]
23. Wiedemann K. Anxiety and anxiety disorders. In: Wright JD, editor. International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences. Oxford: Elsevier; 2015. pp: 804–10.
24. Aftab R. Mediating role of interpersonal problems in the relationship between experiential avoidance with depression and anxiety. Journal of Applied Psychology. 2016;10(1):523–42. [Persian] [Article]
25. Mohseni S, Hoseini S, Kahaki F, Hoseini F, Mirshekari L. Relationship between frustration, mental health and metacognition with high-risk behaviors in adolescents. Aligoodarz Nursing Faculty Analytic Research Journal. 2018;9(1):15–25. [Persian] [Article]
26. Floyd M, Garfield A, LaSota MT. Anxiety sensitivity and worry. Personality and Individual Differences. 2005;38(5):1223–9. [DOI]
27. Deacon BJ, Abramowitz JS, Woods CM, Tolin DF. The Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised: psychometric properties and factor structure in two nonclinical samples. Behav Res Ther. 2003;41(12):1427–49. [DOI]
28. Anderson ER, Hope DA. The relationship among social phobia, objective and perceived physiological reactivity, and anxiety sensitivity in an adolescent population. J Anxiety Disord. 2009;23(1):18–26. [DOI]
29. Fardaeni Sofla H, Karsazi H, Emami Ezat A, Bakhshipour Roodsari A. The structural relationship of anxiety sensitivity, worry and difficulty in regulating emotions with generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder and panic disorder. Thoughts and Behavior in Clinical Psychology. 2015;10(36):77–87. [Persian] [Article]
30. McLaughlin KA, Hatzenbuehler ML. Stressful life events, anxiety sensitivity, and internalizing symptoms in adolescents. J Abnorm Psychol. 2009;118(3):659–69. [DOI]
31. Van Petegem S, Zimmer-Gembeck M, Baudat S, Soenens B, Vansteenkiste M, Zimmermann G. Adolescents’ responses to parental regulation: the role of communication style and self-determination. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. 2019;65:101073. [DOI]
32. Walęcka-Matyja K. Adolescent personalities and their self-acceptance within complete families, incomplete families and reconstructed families. Polish Journal of Applied Psychology. 2014;12(1):59–74. [DOI]
33. Guadagnoli E, Velicer WF. Relation of sample size to the stability of component patterns. Psychol Bull. 1988;103(2):265–75. [DOI]
34. Mohammadkhani Sh. Development and standardization of a risk and protective questionnaire for the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and other substances to identify students at risk. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Iran; 2007. [Persian]
35. Maktabi G, Soltani A. The relationships between parental bonding and self-assertiveness with behavior at risk among students of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. Biannual Journal of Applied Counseling. 2015;4(2):69–82. [Persian] [DOI]
36. Chamberlain JM, Haaga DAF. Unconditional self-acceptance and psychological health. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy. 2001;19(3):163–76. [DOI]
37. Shafiabadi A, Niknam M. The relationship between perfectionism and job burnout in nurses: the mediating role of unconditional self acceptance. Journal of Psychological Studies. 2015;11(1):115–40. [Persian] [DOI]
38. Reiss S, Peterson RA, Gursky DM, McNally RJ. Anxiety sensitivity, anxiety frequency and the prediction of fearfulness. Behav Res Ther. 1986;24(1):1–8. [DOI]
39. Moradimanesh F, Mirjafari SA, Goodarzi MA, Mohammadi N. Barrasi vijegi–haye ravan sanji shakhes tajdid nazar shode hasasiat ezterabi [Evaluation of psychometric properties of the revised anxiety sensitivity index]. Journal of Psychology. 2007;11(4):426–46. [Persian]
40. Weston R, Gore PA. A brief guide to structural equation modeling. The Counseling Psychologist. 2006;34(5):719–51. [DOI]
Add your comments about this article : Your username or Email:
CAPTCHA
Send email to the article author

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© 2025 CC BY-NC 4.0 | Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies

Designed & Developed by : Yektaweb