Le concept de pensée constructive se défini comme des styles de pensée automatiques utilisées pour faire face aux situations stressantes de la vie quotidienne. Le but de cette étude vise à caractériser la pensée constructive chez des adolescents et des jeunes adultes, en tenant compte du genre. Un deuxième objectif est d’identifier les caractéristiques de la pensée constructive chez des adolescents délinquants.

Cette étude est composée de 777 participants, âgés de 12 à 26ans (moyenne d’âge=17,09±2,70), issus de la population générale et recrutés dans des établissements scolaires privés et publics, et de 60 garçons délinquants, âgés de 12 à 18ans (moyenne d’âge=16,15±1,23), recrutés dans deux institutions fermées pour mineurs. Tous les participants ont répondu au constructive thinking inventory (CTI), un auto-questionnaire composé d’une échelle globale, ainsi que de six échelles spécifiques.

Les résultats de cette étude mettent en avant des différences importantes liées au genre et à l’âge. Les garçons rapportent une pensée constructive plus efficace que les filles et les adolescents se distinguent des jeunes adultes sur certaines échelles spécifiques du CTI. De plus les garçons délinquants présentent un profil spécifique de la pensée constructive, différent de celui des adolescents garçons de la population générale.

Le CTI permet d’évaluer des stratégies de gestion du stress spécifiques à l’âge et au genre, de même que des déficits spécifiques dans la gestion du stress qui pourraient être associés à la délinquance.

Constructive thinking is defined as the use of functional affective and cognitive coping styles in stressful situations. A first aim of the current study is to evaluate constructive thinking in adolescents and young adults, taking into account gender differences. A second aim is to identify a specific profile of the constructive thinking in delinquent adolescents.

The study comprises two samples. A first sample is constituted of 777 participants of the general population, aged from 12 to 26 years (mean age = 17.09±2.70), recruited in public and private schools, as well as in high-schools and colleges. The second sample is composed of 60 male delinquent adolescents, aged from 12 to 18 years (mean age=16.15±1.23), recruited in two forensic facilities. All participants were asked to answer the constructive thinking inventory (CTI), a self-report questionnaire assessing the constructive thinking. This self-report questionnaire comprises one global scale, global constructive thinking and six specific scales.

Results of the present study evidence important gender and age differences in coping styles used to handle daily life stressful situations. Specifically, compared to their female counterparts, male participants show a more efficient constructive thinking, with a more black-and-white thinking style, as well as a tendency to consider stressful situations as challenges rather than threats. Regarding age differences, some differences between the adolescents and young adults were observed on some specific scales. Namely, adolescents are more likely to think in a rigid and dichotomous thinking style, and seem to have a simplistic vision of the world, whereas adults are more likely to think in a more realistic way. Finally, compared to male adolescents from the general population, adolescent delinquents show a less efficient constructive thinking. They are less able to display adequate responses to stressful situations and tend to have a more rigid and superstitious thinking.

The CTI appears to be a useful tool to assess adolescents’ and young adults’ strategies to manage daily life problems. Additionally, deficits in constructive thinking seem to play a role in the occurrence and maintenance of delinquent behaviours, and should be taken into consideration for interventions in this specific population.