The Mediating Role of Family Flexibility in The Relationship between Religiosity and Identity Crisis in Adolescent Girls

This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the mediating role of family flexibility in the relationship between religiosity and the identity crisis of adolescent girls with the structural equation modeling approach. The statistical population of this study was all girl students of the first highschool level of Qom city in the academic year of 2021-2022. 371 girl students were selected by available sampling method and answered online questionnaires. To collect information, Gluck and Stark's Religiosity Questionnaire (1965), Elson Family Flexibility Questionnaire (1999) and Ahmadi Personal Identity Questionnaire (2007) were used. Data analysis were performed with SPSS. v21 and AMOS.v23 software, and Pearson's correlation coefficient tests, multiple regression analysis and path analysis. The results showed that the direct paths of the effect of religiosity on identity crisis (β=-0.216, P=0.008) and the family flexibility on identity crisis (β=0.201, P=0.012) are significant. In addition, the mediating role of family flexibility in the relationship between religiosity and identity crisis was significant, and with the inclusion of family flexibility in the model, the protective role of religiosity increased (from 0.197 to 0.226) against identity crisis. According to the results of the present study, it is suggested that families provide appropriate answers to the religious motivations of adolescents and resolve crises and conflicts of adolescents in a flexible environment.