Liens prédictifs entre les traits de personnalité et les processus identitaires à l’adolescence : étude longitudinale du rôle modérateur de l’attachement aux parents
The objectives of this study were to evaluate if adolescents’ personality traits at the beginning of high school (age 12-13) predict identity processes two years later (age 15-16) and to determine whether attachment to parents moderate these predictive relationships. The data come from a prospective longitudinal study of 1036 adolescents from seven high schools in the regions of Montreal, Laval and Quebec City. Regression analyses controlling for different cofounding factors confirmed some hypotheses related to the predictive relationships of personality traits (i.e., Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Emotional stability). These analyses also revealed that attachment to parents positively moderate the relationship between Emotional stability and identity commitment. Specifically, the relation between Emotional stability and subsequent identity commitment is stronger for adolescents with high level of attachment to parents. Finally, beyond personality traits, a number of developmental correlates also seem to play a role in identity processes: age, pubertal status, family status, and ethnicity. The results of this study could have theoretical and practical implications such as helping improve screening of adolescents at risk to develop identity difficulties.
Personality traits Identity Identity process Attachment Longitudinal study