From the laboratory to the hospital, adults to adolescents, and disorders to personality: The case of psychological reactance

Study 1 assessed whether trait reactance in disturbed adolescents (ages 12 to 17) is part of the same constellation of personality variables associated with reactance in adults, and Study 2 examined whether reactance predicts inpatient treatment duration and outcomes. Correlations between reactance and MMPI-A variables among 76 inpatients (41 girls) showed that reactance is associated with oppositional, nonaffiliative, and narcissistic traits in disturbed adolescents as well as adults. Reactance predicted longer hospital stays among 176 adolescents (90 girls), and also changes in aggression, mood problems, and substance abuse among those in middle (n = 89) but not early (n = 87) adolescence. Additional analyses identified 'typically male' and 'typically female' patterns of reactance-change relationships. The clinical significance and utility of these findings are discussed.