Mediating Effects of Antisocial Peer Conformity on the Relationship between External Resilience and Social Isolation among School Dropout Adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to verify the mediating effects of anti-social peer conformity on the relationship between external resilience and social isolation among school dropout during adolescence. The 395 adolescent school dropouts were surveyed using youth resilience, peer conformity and loneliness scales. They came from Gangwon (16), Gyeonggi (55), Gyeongnam (28), Gyeongbuk (65), Gwangju (6), Daegu (33), Daejeon (11), Busan (19), Seoul (46), Ulsan (9), Incheon (32), Jeonnam (14), Jeonbuk (11), Chungnam (28), and Chungbuk (22). The data collection ran through a postal survey from July 15 to August 15, 2021. A total of 1500 questionnaires of 218 Dream Centers were distributed to the respondents, where 395 were counted as valid. The related procedure was conducted with the cooperation of teachers in charge of institutions that educate the out-of-school youth. The instruments used in the study were External Resilience Scale, Antisocial Peer Conformity Scale, and Scale of Social Isolation. The data analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0. The results of the study are as follows. First, it was found that the external resilience of school dropout during adolescence had a negative correlation with social isolation and anti-social peer conformity. Second, the anti-social peer conformity had partial mediating effects on the relation between external resilience and social isolation of school dropout during adolescence. Third, among the external resilience of school dropout during adolescence, the influence of their peers' support system are the highest. This study is meaningful that it validates the mutual influence of the three factors(external individual, individual-environment, internal individual) associated with school dropout phenomenon.