Étude longitudinale des liens prédictifs entre les traits de personnalité et les symptômes intériorisés à l'adolescence
The goal of this longitudinal study was to determine if personality traits (according to the Big Five model) in early adolescence (12-13 years old) can predict internalizing symptoms two years later (14-15 years old), after controlling for the initial level of internalizing symptoms and the influence of various known risk factors. Data came from a prospective longitudinal study. The sample includes 1036 adolescents from eight high schools in the province of Quebec. Adolescents filled a self-reported questionnaire. Structural equation models first confirmed that internalizing symptoms can be conceptualized as a latent variable. Other models showed that some personality traits do predict subsequent internalizing symptoms. However, unlike adult studies, the role of Emotional stability and Extraversion is not significant after controlling for known risk factors and gender. In this study, it is rather Conscientiousness and Agreeableness which are significantly related to subsequent internalizing symptoms. Indeed, a low level of Conscientiousness and a high level of Agreeableness are significantly related to subsequent internalizing symptoms among adolescents. The results also confirmed the important role of peer relationships factors. Finally, multiple-group structural equation models showed significant gender-specific predictive relations. This study confirms that adolescents’ personality traits can play a role in the development of internalizing symptoms, which supports their relevance for both theory and clinical practice.
Adolescence Personality traits Internalizing symptoms Adolescence Predictive relations Risk factors Gender