• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.61-74
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• 2007

Adolescents from stepfamilies have been considered as at-risk group of mental and behavioral problems. This study aims to determine whether there is a group difference of emotional or behavior disturbance between young people in step and non-stepfamilies and whether risk factors linked to emotional and behavior symptoms of young people in stepfamilies are different from those of girls in non-stepfamilies. The study used 'the Mental Health of Children and Young People in Great Britain, 2004 (MHCYP 2004)'. In the MHCYP 2004, the Rutter Problem Behavior Questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) were administered to parents, teachers, and children drawn from young people aged 5-17 living in private households in England, Scotland (including the Highlands and Islands) and Wales. The total of 2,471 samples of aged 13 through 17 from them were selected for this study. The selected data was analyzed using SPSS. The findings showed group differences in emotional and behavior symptoms between young people in step and non-stepfamilies: Young people from stepfamilies were more emotional and have behavioral disturbances than those from nonstepfamilies. The result also confirmed the different risk factors associated with emotional behavior problems. The study supports that professionals need to develop effective treatment and preventive approaches designed for young people in stepfamilies who may have different risk factors different from those in non-stepfamilies.