Predictors of Personal and Social Adjustment among Israeli-Palestinian Teenagers

Abstract

In the current study, we sought to uncover whether self-control, social support and subjective well-being enhance social and personal adjustment among Arab-Palestinian teenagers in Israel. We used a sample of 800 adolescents, and applied a cross-sectional methodology. Regression analyses revealed that: 1) higher levels of social support predicted higher levels of both personal and social adjustment; 2) higher levels of self-control predicted higher levels of personal and social adjustment and; 3) higher levels of positive affect predicted higher levels of both personal and social adjustment, whereas higher levels of negative affect predicted lower levels of both personal and social adjustment. Educational staff, as well as mental health professionals, should take note of these findings while working with Arab-Palestinian teenagers whose personal and social adjustment can be particularly challenging because of the complex processes of modernization, Israelization and Palestinization.