Social maladaptation of adolescents with dysfunctional experiences of child-parent relationships

Introduction. The research is aimed at studying the influence of negative early family experience on the formation of socio-psychological maladaptation in adolescence. The aim of the research is to identify the specifics of psycho-emotional reactions and behavioural patterns of adolescents having experienced emotional or physical violence in their families. Organisation of the research. The sample consisted of 52 adolescents aged 14 to 16 years (average age 15.2 ± 0.93 years) with destructive behaviour. The following methods were used: the questionnaire “Propensity for Deviant Behaviour” (A. N. Orel), the questionnaire “Family Experiences in Childhood Scale” (FECS), the Post Traumatic Symptoms Scale (PTSS-10), the essay “My Traumatic Experience”, and a diagnostic interview. Results. Aggressive tendencies were revealed in 84.6 % of the participants, while 76.9 % demonstrated a tendency to negativism. Adolescents from dysfunctional families showed higher indicators of mental instability (30.17 ± 12.65 points, p < 0.0001), including sleep disturbances, depression and emotional lability. The findings reflect the need to develop targeted psycho-correctional programmes for adolescents with dysfunctional family experiences.