%0 Journal Article %J Current Issues in Personality Psychology %@ 2353-4192 %V 5 %N 4 %D 2017 %F Farnicka2017 %T Aggressiveness, social support and school experiences as dimensions differentiating negative and positive adaptation among adolescents %X Background The study results presented below lie within a field of study which seeks to identify appropriate risk indicators for risky behaviours in the group of adolescents. The study drew on the tenets of developmental psychopathology. Adaptation assessment was performed on the basis of an objective indicator which comprised adolescents’ problems with social functioning. Participants and procedure The main determinants of the observed changes in behaviour and the development of adaptation pathways during the period of adolescence were considered to include bio-psycho-social temperamental factors (Buss & Plomin, 1984), attachment patterns (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987), trait of aggressiveness (Buss & Perry, 1992), conditions created by the environment (support of family members, peers and teachers [Malecki & Demaray, 2002]) as well as previous experiences such as being a victim of violence (Osterman & Bjorqvist, 2008) or the level of school success. The final study group comprised a total of 140 positively and 140 negatively adapted teenagers (N = 280) between the ages of 12 and 19. The study was carried out in Poland. Results The study confirmed the gender effect, demonstrating a higher frequency of involvement in risky behaviours among boys. The results from searching for differences between positively and negatively adapted teens showed that in the negatively adapted group there were lower grades at school and more frequent aggressive behaviour. Conclusions The main conclusion that can be drawn from the study is that the potential prophylactic and therapeutic interventions require consideration of factors such as age, educational success, aggressiveness and social support. %A Farnicka, Marzanna Agnieszka %P 285-302 %9 journal article %R 10.5114/cipp.2017.70740 %U http://dx.doi.org/10.5114/cipp.2017.70740