General and specificnegative problem orientation in adolescence - investigations with questionnaire and story

Abstract

International studies agree that social problem-solving has a profound influence on success in personal life, on mental health, on academic achievement, and, in turn, on the functioning of different social groups and society as a whole. The aim of our study was to investigate the characteristics of general and specific negative problem orientation with questionnaires and stories among adolescents (12-, 15- and 18-year-olds; N=445). We used the Social ProblemSolving Inventory–Revised (SPSI–R, D’Zurilla et al., 2002), the Negative Orientation Questionnaire (NEGORI, Kasik, Gál, & Tóth, 2018), and the NEGORI Story-based Test (Kasik & Gál, 2018) in the study. Based on the results, negative orientation, rationality, impulsivity and avoidance show increasing tendency with age; however, positive orientation decreases with age. The results gained from the NEGORI factors give more details about the age-related characteristics gained with SPSI–R, because based on the NEGORI, the age-related variations of negative self-efficacy related to problems and their solutions show a tendency of decrease. The results of the story-based research (e.g., verbal abuse, lack of cooperation) support the characteristics of the results of the NEGORI studies (e.g., negative self-efficacy is the main component of negative orientation). The results of this study show that negative orientation seems to be a multi-factor construct, either measured by questionnaire or by a storybased test.