This causal-comparative post-event survey compared interpersonal problems (IPs) among neglected and normally-raised (NR) adolescents. The statistical population consisted of 75 neglected “12-18-year-old” male and female adolescents living in charity centers “Parto Mehr-e Yazdan” (for boys) and “Shekoofeh" (for girls) in Zanjan (Iran) in 2017. In parallel, the study investigated 75 NR adolescents studying in the schools of “Isar” (for girls) and “Nabovvat” (for boys) in this city in the same academic year. All the participants (n: 150) were selected by convenience and targeted sampling methods. Data were first collected using the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-32 (IIP-32) and then analyzed using “independent t-test” and “multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA)”. IPs and associated components (e.g., assertiveness and agreeableness, aggression, and dependence) were much more noticeable in neglected adolescents than in their NR counterparts. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups for components of “support and participation”, “openness to experiences”, and “conscientiousness”.

Interpersonal problems, Neglect, Assertiveness, Agreeableness, Aggression