Ethics code: IR.IAU.Z.REC.1404.029
1- Department of Psychology, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran.
Abstract: (15 Views)
Background and Objective: Failure to adjust to the school environment can lead to behavioral issues, reduced academic motivation, and increased risk of mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate a structural model of the relationship between social development, emotional maturity, and parent-child relationships with school adjustment in adolescents, mediated by cyberbullying.
Method: This correlational study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM). The population consisted of all high school students in Shahreza during the 2024-2025 academic year. A sample of 389 students was selected using multistage cluster sampling. Participants completed questionnaires on school adjustment (Sinha & Singh, 1993), social development (Weitzman, 1990), emotional maturity (Singh & Bhargava, 1984), parent-child relationship (Fine et al., 1983), and cyberbullying (Garcia et al., 2016). Pearson correlation coefficients were used to examine relationships between variables, and SEM was employed to test the conceptual model. Data analysis was conducted at a significance level of 0.05 using SPSS version 28 and AMOS version 24.
Results: The results confirmed the model’s fit with the data (RMSEA = 0.053, GFI = 0.90, IFI = 0.94, CFI = 0.90, NFI = 0.94, AGFI = 0.88). Direct effects showed that social development (β = 0.171, p = 0.016) and parent-child relationship (β = 0.193, p = 0.005) positively and significantly predicted school adjustment. Emotional maturity (β = -0.163, p = 0.026) and cyberbullying (β = -0.360, p = 0.001) had significant negative direct effects. Indirect effects indicated that cyberbullying mediated the relationship between social development (β = 0.069, p = 0.009), parent-child relationship (β = 0.093, p = 0.003), and emotional maturity (β = -0.084, p = 0.023) with school adjustment.
Conclusion: Overall, enhancing social development and improving parent-child relationships, alongside reducing cyberbullying, can promote school adjustment in adolescents. Additionally, interventions focused on fostering emotional maturity can mitigate cyberbullying, thereby improving students’ academic and social adjustment.
Method: This correlational study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM). The population consisted of all high school students in Shahreza during the 2024-2025 academic year. A sample of 389 students was selected using multistage cluster sampling. Participants completed questionnaires on school adjustment (Sinha & Singh, 1993), social development (Weitzman, 1990), emotional maturity (Singh & Bhargava, 1984), parent-child relationship (Fine et al., 1983), and cyberbullying (Garcia et al., 2016). Pearson correlation coefficients were used to examine relationships between variables, and SEM was employed to test the conceptual model. Data analysis was conducted at a significance level of 0.05 using SPSS version 28 and AMOS version 24.
Results: The results confirmed the model’s fit with the data (RMSEA = 0.053, GFI = 0.90, IFI = 0.94, CFI = 0.90, NFI = 0.94, AGFI = 0.88). Direct effects showed that social development (β = 0.171, p = 0.016) and parent-child relationship (β = 0.193, p = 0.005) positively and significantly predicted school adjustment. Emotional maturity (β = -0.163, p = 0.026) and cyberbullying (β = -0.360, p = 0.001) had significant negative direct effects. Indirect effects indicated that cyberbullying mediated the relationship between social development (β = 0.069, p = 0.009), parent-child relationship (β = 0.093, p = 0.003), and emotional maturity (β = -0.084, p = 0.023) with school adjustment.
Conclusion: Overall, enhancing social development and improving parent-child relationships, alongside reducing cyberbullying, can promote school adjustment in adolescents. Additionally, interventions focused on fostering emotional maturity can mitigate cyberbullying, thereby improving students’ academic and social adjustment.
Keywords: School adjustment, social development, emotional maturity, parent-child relationship, cyberbullying.
Type of Study: Original Research Article |
Subject:
Psychology
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