Effect of authenticity on behavior problems and loneliness of high school students

Objective To investigate the effect of the high school students' authenticity in the relationships with parents and friends on their behavior problems and loneliness. Methods A total of 619 high school students in Guangdong province participated in this study. The instruments included the Authenticity Scale, the Youth Self-Report and the State versus Trait Loneliness Scales. Results (1) Authentic self in the relationship with parents were significantly and negatively related to internalizing problems (depression/anxiety, social withdrawal and somatic complaints, standardized regression coefficients were -0.17, P<0.01; -0.10, P<0.05; -0.10, P<0.05), externalizing problems (aggression and delinquency, standardized regression coefficients were -0.16, P<0.01; -0.21, P<0.01) and loneliness (trait loneliness and state loneliness, standardized regression coefficients were -0.17, P<0.01; -0.17, P<0.01). (2) Authentic self in the relationship with friends was significantly and negatively related to internalizing problems (depression/anxiety, social withdrawal and somatic complaints, standardized regression coefficients were -0.24, P<0.01; -0.28, P<0.01; -0.10, P<0.05) and loneliness(trait loneliness and state loneliness, standardized regression coefficients were -0.29, P<0.01; -0.34, P<0.01). Conclusion Authenticity in the relationships with parents and friends has the positive effect on adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment. Key words: Authenticity; Behaviour problems; Loneliness; Parents; Friends; High school students