Analysis of the psychometric properties of an assessment tool for deviant behavior in adolescence

The study is aimed to explore the psychometric properties of a deviant behaviour scale for adolescents based on Jessor's problem behaviour theory. The sample consisted of 2191 Italian adolescents aged between 13 and 24 years (M = 16.2, SD = 1.6) who attend different types of secondary schools in Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta. The results demonstrated goodness of fit for a three interrelated factor model corresponding to the three most common deviant behaviours in adolescents - “physical aggression”, “theft and vandalism” and “lying and disobedience”. Furthermore, the three dimensions were shown to possess a satisfactory degree of reliability. Multigroup analyses show that the three factor structure was substantially stable over age and gender sub-groups.