Two measures, The Adolescent Invulnerability Scale (TAIS) and The Adolescent Personal Uniqueness Scale (TAPUS) were developed to quantify levels of felt invulnerability and personal uniqueness, respectively. The relationship among these two personal fables (invulnerability, personal uniqueness), and mental health variables was assessed in a large sample of adolescents (n = 248, including seventh and eighth grade students). Participants responded to the newly crafted measures of adolescent invulnerability and personal uniqueness, the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale, three indices of suicidal ideation, an inventory of delinquent risk behaviors, and two subscales from the Self-Image Questionnaire for Young Adolescents. It was predicted that invulnerability would be positively associated with risk behaviors and more prevalent among boys. In addition, personal uniqueness would be positively associated with depression and suicidal ideation, and more prevalent in girls. With respect to personal fable ideation, boys demonstrated higher levels of felt invulnerability and more risk behaviors than girls. In addition, girls reported more feelings of depression than boys, however neither group differed on the amount of reported felt personal uniqueness. The results show that the personal fables of invulnerability and personal uniqueness are differentially linked to indices of mental health within an adolescent population. / Department of Educational Psychology
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/175957 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Duggan, Peter M. |
| Contributors | Lapsley, Daniel K. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | viii, 123 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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