The Role of Family Environment in Explaining Internalizing and Externalizing Syndromes among Adolescents

H. PourSharifi, Ph D

Z. Khanjani, Ph D

J. Babapour Kheirodin, Ph D

B. Shalchi, Ph D

The aim of this study was to explain internalizing and externalizing syndromes based on family environment among adolescents. To explore the mentioned relations, a sample of 1647 high school students (840 girls and 807 boys) was selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method. All participants were asked to complete the Family Environment Scale (FES) and Youth Self-Report form of Achenbach's ASEBA school-age forms. Measures of central tendency and dispersion, Pearson correlation coefficients as well as of multiple regression analysis were used for the purpose of data analysis. Obtained results indicated that there were correlations between most of subscales of the family environment variable and internalizing and externalizing syndromes. Results of  multiple regression analysis revealed that gender and most of subscales of family environment could predict the internalizing and externalizing syndromes.

Key words: adolescent, internalizing syndromes, externalizing syndromes, family environment, gender