Family Disintegration and Its Relationship to Behavioral Deviance among Adolescent Girls

Abstract

The family represents the primary environment in which an individual’s personality, attitudes, and behavioral patterns are formed. It is considered the most influential social institution in shaping behavior, as it provides the first framework for socialization during childhood, a critical stage of development. Through the family, individuals acquire values, customs, traditions, and both positive and negative behavioral patterns. Consequently, the family serves as a mediating link between the individual and society, playing a crucial role in promoting either adaptive or deviant behavior. Family neglect of adolescents can significantly affect their behavior, often leading to hostility, academic underachievement, and difficulties in establishing healthy social relationships. Such adolescents may also experience social withdrawal and struggle with effective communication in social contexts. The adolescent environment, including family, school, peer groups, and media, plays a major role in shaping personality and behavioral patterns. In particular, social media may expose adolescent girls to harmful content and deviant ideas, increasing the risk of imitation due to their developmental stage and limited ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Adolescence is a critical developmental stage characterized by psychological, behavioral, and emotional changes. It is considered both a period of potential and risk, where individuals may exhibit delinquent or aggressive behaviors if proper guidance is lacking. This study aims to: 1. Identify family disintegration among adolescent girls. 2. Identify behavioral deviations among adolescent girls. 3. Examine the relationship between family disintegration and behavioral deviations. The study adopted the descriptive-correlational approach. A family disintegration scale (Al-Harithi, 2023) consisting of 49 items was applied to a sample of 400 adolescent girls. Additionally, a behavioral deviation scale (Awad, 2014) consisting of 10 items was used. The validity of the instruments was verified through expert judgment. The findings revealed: 1. A statistically significant level of family disintegration among adolescent girls. 2. A statistically significant level of behavioral deviations among adolescent girls. 3. A positive statistically significant correlation between family disintegration and behavioral deviations among adolescent girls.