Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
Psicothema, 2011. Vol. Vol. 23 (nº 1). 7-12
María C. Fuentes, José Fernando García, Enrique Gracia y Marisol Lila
Universidad de Valencia
En este trabajo se analiza la relación entre una medida multidimensional del autoconcepto, el cuestionario de Autoconcepto Forma 5 (AF5), con un amplio conjunto de indicadores del ajuste psicosocial de los adolescentes. A partir de las respuestas de 1.281 adolescentes (53,7% mujeres), entre 12 y 17 años (M= 14,98 años, DT= 1,74 años), los resultados indicaron que el mayor autoconcepto se corresponde con el mejor ajuste psicológico, una buena competencia personal y menos problemas comportamentales. Si bien se encontraron aparentes relaciones positivas entre el autoconcepto social y el uso de drogas, estas relaciones positivas desaparecieron cuando se controló el efecto de la edad y el sexo de los adolescentes. Los resultados de este trabajo apoyan la idea de que el autoconcepto es un constructo teórico básico estrechamente relacionado con el ajuste psicosocial en la adolescencia. Por otra parte, este estudio permite explicar algunos resultados contradictorios en la literatura (i.e., la relación positiva entre el autoconcepto social y el consumo de drogas), mostrando cómo el control estadístico del posible efecto de terceras variables (i.e., la edad) evita llegar a conclusiones erróneas basadas en relaciones espúreas.
Self-concept and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence. This study analyses the relationship between a multidimensional measure of self-concept, Self-concept Form-5 Questionnaire (AF5), and a broad set of adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment indicators. From the responses of 1,281 participants (53.7% females) aged 12 to 17 years (M= 14.98 years, SD= 1.74 years), results indicated that higher self-concept scores corresponded to better psychological adjustment, good personal skills and fewer behavioral problems. Although a positive relationship between social self-concept and drug use was found, this significant relationship disappeared once the adolescent’s age and sex was controlled for. These results support the idea that the self-concept is a basic theoretical construct closely related to the psychosocial adjustment in adolescence. Also this study helps explain some contradictory results reported in the literature (i.e., a positive relationship between social self-concept and drug use), by showing how the statistical control of a third variable effect (i.e., age) avoids reaching conclusions based on spureus relationships.
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