The Role of Parental Monitoring, Self-Esteem, and Alexithymia in Prediction of High-Risk Behaviors and Companionship with Delinquent Peers in Single Parent Adolescents

Single parent adolescents can affect different aspects of their psychological, social, and individual lives, and therefore requires special attention. The purpose of the present study was to determine the role of parental monitoring, self-esteem, and alexithymia in predicting coping with delinquent peers and high-risk behaviors in single-parent adolescents.

This descriptive-correlational study was performed on single parent adolescents under the supervision of Imam Khomeini Relief Committee in Karaj, Iran in 2016. 224 single parent adolescents were selected by convenience sampling. Through the researcher's referring to the Adolescent Education Centers covered by the Karaj Relief Committee, all subjects completed the Parental Monitoring Questionnaire, Self-Esteem Scale, Affective Scale, Companionship with Delinquent Peers, and Iranian Adolescent Risk Scale. Pearson correlation and multiple regression were used for data analysis.

After removing the incomplete questionnaires, 200 questionnaires remained for statistical analysis. Mean parental surveillance components were 11.48±3.04, self esteem 10.66±1.63, alexithymia 72.77±4.83, associating with delinquent peers 18.78±6.09 and high risk behaviors equal to 86.45±6.33was obtained. There was a significant negative correlation between parental monitoring, self-esteem, and alexithymia adolescents' association with delinquent peers, and a significant positive relationship with high-risk behaviors (p<0.01). Parental monitoring had a significant correlation with being with peers, and predicted 20% of the variance with being with peers (p<0.001). Parental monitoring had a significant and significant correlation with high risk behaviors, which alone predicted 4% of the variance in high risk behaviors (p<0.001).

The results of this study indicate the importance of parental monitoring, self-esteem and alexithymia in reducing adolescents' association with delinquent peers and their high-risk behavior.