Suicide is one of the leading causes of death globally. and is the leading cause of death among young individuals in Japan.
Additionally, the percentage of students in Japan who do not attend school is high; consequently, preventing school maladjustment is an important factor in the mental health of young individuals.
Protective factors that decrease school maladjustment have been associated with positive relationships with teachers and peers, school engagement, and extracurricular activities (Zaff et al., 2017). Having a role in extracurricular and other organized activities improves interpersonal skills (Mahoney et al., 2003), strengthens connections with peers (Mahoney et al., 2003), and decreases maladaptive behaviors (Mahoney, 2000).
School maladjustment has been associated with factors related to role performance and the satisfaction gained through this role (Suzuki & Kato, 2019). Kato & Suzuki (2018) defined rolefulness as a sustained sense of role satisfaction felt in daily life and created a rolefulness scale consisting of social and internal rolefulness.
A study examining the relationship between school maladjustment and rolefulness using longitudinal data from three years of high school reported that rolefulness had a significant negative effect on school maladjustment (Suzuki & Kato, 2019). In addition, rolefulness has been reported to be associated with hardiness (Suzuki & Kato, 2023). Hardiness is an attitude, strategy, or skill to effectively cope with stressful situations and promote resilience (Maddi, 2013).
Similarly, proactive traits refer to those that are relatively resistant to pressure from a stressful environment and are employed by individuals who have the tenacity to actively work on their own (Bateman & Crant, 1993). Proactive traits have been linked to workplace adjustment among new employees (Ashford & Black, 1996) and occupational achievement (Seibert et al., 1999).
It has been reported that proactivity contributes to work environment adaptation; however, few studies have focused on school adjustment. Consequently, a longitudinal study showing the process by which proactive traits mediate rolefulness and influence school maladjustment in high school students may assist in identifying protective school maladjustment factors.
Therefore, this study aimed to longitudinally examine the relationship between rolefulness, proactivity, and school maladjustment among high school students.