Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026
07:56
Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Multidimensional profiles of adolescent functioning: academic, emotional, and relational patterns
Millicent Aziku1, Xinyi Huang1, Denis Djekourmane1
1Faculty of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China.
Frontiers in Psychology
|August 14, 2026
Summary
Academic success and emotional wellbeing in adolescents do not always align. This study identified distinct functioning profiles, revealing that high achievement doesn't guarantee positive psychosocial health for all students.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent Development
- Educational Psychology
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Adolescence is a critical period for academic, emotional, and social development.
- Whole-child frameworks emphasize integrating academic achievement with psychosocial wellbeing.
- Limited research exists on how these dimensions co-occur to form distinct adolescent functioning profiles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify multidimensional profiles of adolescent functioning across academic, emotional, and relational domains.
- To examine differences in student background characteristics across these profiles.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022, including 135,348 adolescents from 15 countries.
- Employed Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) with indicators of academic achievement, school belonging, teacher support, emotional wellbeing, and flourishing experiences.
- Examined variations in student background characteristics across identified profiles.
Main Results:
- Identified six distinct adolescent functioning profiles.
- One profile showed high academic achievement but weaker psychosocial functioning (school belonging, emotional wellbeing, flourishing).
- Another profile demonstrated lower academic achievement alongside strong psychosocial functioning; background characteristics varied significantly across profiles.
Conclusions:
- Adolescent development is multidimensional, with academic success and psychosocial wellbeing not always developing in tandem.
- Findings extend the whole-child developmental framework, highlighting the need for integrated interventions.
- Educational policies should promote both academic learning and students' emotional/relational wellbeing for balanced outcomes.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adolescence
Erik Erikson's fifth stage of psychosocial development, "identity versus role confusion," is crucial during adolescence (ages 12 to 18). In this stage, adolescents face the developmental task of forging a distinct personal identity, a process influenced by social, psychological, and biological changes typical of this period. Adolescents naturally explore different roles, behaviors, and ideologies as they navigate complex questions of self-concept, asking, "Who am I?" and "What is my place in...
01:23Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Adolescence is a pivotal period of identity formation, during which individuals begin to answer questions central to their sense of self, such as "Who am I?" and "Who do I hope to become?" Both parents and peers play critical roles in guiding adolescents through this complex developmental phase.
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
01:27Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Adolescents from ethnic minority backgrounds face a multifaceted journey in forming their identities, shaped by the intersections of cultural expectations and personal exploration. For these adolescents, identity formation involves not only typical developmental challenges but also navigating the perceptions and attitudes of the majority culture. As they grow, adolescents in ethnic minority groups often become increasingly aware of stereotypes, social biases, and discrimination, all of which...
01:18Cognitive Development During Adolescence
During adolescence, individuals experience significant cognitive development that enhances their understanding of others' emotions and thoughts, known as cognitive empathy. This period is marked by an increased ability to adapt to others' perspectives and a more nuanced understanding of others' mental states, a skill that is foundational for social problem-solving and conflict avoidance. The development of cognitive empathy relies heavily on the theory of mind — the recognition that people have...
01:24Attachment Styles
Jeffrey Simpson's attachment theory suggests that early caregiver relationships shape lasting patterns of behavior and emotional regulation, known as attachment styles. These patterns are organized along two key dimensions: self-esteem and interpersonal trust. The intersection of these dimensions produces four primary attachment styles that typically persist throughout life and significantly influence how individuals form and maintain relationships.Secure Attachment StyleIndividuals with a...
03:00Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...