PROBLEM AND CONVENTIONAL BEHAVIORS AMONG AMERICAN-INDIAN ADOLESCENTS - STRUCTURE AND VALIDITY

Empirical work based on Problem-Behavior Theory has supported a syndro me of adolescent problem behaviors such as substance use, delinquent b ehaviors, and sexual intercourse. The previously reported latent struc ture of a 4-item problem-behavior syndrome was replicated within a sam ple of 2,250 American Indian adolescents. With the inclusion of multip le indicators of several of the problem behaviors, a single factor no longer provided a satisfactory fit. With the addition of multiple indi cators of conventional behavior, a 2nd-order latent construct model co nsisting of 1 problem-behavior construct and 1 conventional-behavior c onstruct provided a satisfactory fit. Both constructs contributed impo rtant and unique information to the prediction of adaptive and maladap tive psychosocial variables. Implications for understanding problem an d conventional-behaviors across cultural subgroups, as well as within the broader context of adolescent development, are raised.