Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
J Adolesc. 2021 Feb;87:106-116. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.01.006. Epub 2021 Feb 3.
Research on identity development has primarily studied over-time trends in identity status change and exploration and commitment processes among late adolescents and emerging adults. Identity development in early and mid-adolescents has generally been overlooked. Hence, little is known about how a sense of identity synthesis and confusion evolves from early to late adolescence for boys and girls.
The present cross-sectional study examined gender-moderated age trends in identity synthesis and confusion from ages 12 to 25 among 5860 Belgian adolescents (56.1% girls; Mage = 16.09). In addition, using a subsample of 2782 participants, we investigated associations of identity synthesis and confusion with depressive symptoms in early, mid-, and late adolescents.
Mean scores on identity synthesis decreased from ages 12 to 15, subsequently increased from ages 15 to 23, and decreased again later on. Mean scores on identity confusion followed a parallel but opposite cubic trend. Gender differences in these age trends were dependent upon the developmental period. For all age groups, identity synthesis scores were negatively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas positive associations emerged between identity confusion and depressive symptoms.
From 12 to 25 years old, individuals experience an increasing sense of identity synthesis and less identity confusion, despite fluctuations that appear to be dependent upon the developmental period. Identity synthesis and confusion seem to be strongly negatively and positively associated with depressive symptoms in early, mid-, and late adolescents.
身份发展的研究主要集中在青少年晚期和成年早期的身份状态变化以及探索和承诺过程方面的随时间推移的趋势。青少年早期和中期的身份发展通常被忽视。因此，对于男孩和女孩来说，从青少年早期到晚期，身份综合感和混乱感如何演变，我们知之甚少。
本横断面研究调查了 5860 名比利时青少年（56.1%为女孩；平均年龄为 16.09 岁）从 12 岁到 25 岁期间身份综合和混乱的性别调节年龄趋势。此外，使用 2782 名参与者的子样本，我们研究了身份综合和混乱与青少年早期、中期和晚期抑郁症状之间的关联。
身份综合的平均得分从 12 岁到 15 岁下降，随后从 15 岁到 23 岁增加，然后再次下降。身份混乱的平均得分遵循平行但相反的三次趋势。这些年龄趋势的性别差异取决于发展阶段。对于所有年龄组，身份综合得分与抑郁症状呈负相关，而身份混乱与抑郁症状呈正相关。
从 12 岁到 25 岁，尽管波动似乎取决于发展阶段，但个体经历了身份综合感的增强和身份混乱感的减少。身份综合和混乱与青少年早期、中期和晚期的抑郁症状呈强烈的负相关和正相关。
