Journal of Counseling Research

▌Aim: Families are configured in various forms, and blended families represent one type of family structure that can affect adolescents’ psychological well-being. The present study aimed to develop a conceptual model of factors contributing to maladjustment among adolescent boys aged 13–18 years in blended families, based on the conditions and consequences framework of grounded theory. ▌Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using a grounded theory approach in 1402 (Iranian calendar). The target population consisted of adolescent boys aged 13–18 years from blended families who were attending school in three educational districts, including Districts 1 and 2 of Shahrekord County and the education district of Gandoman City in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. Twelve male students aged 13–18 years were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed according to the Strauss and Corbin coding method. ▌Findings: Coding of the interview data resulted in the identification of 81 open codes, 24 axial codes, and 6 main categories related to factors contributing to maladjustment among adolescent boys in blended families. The findings indicated that lack of secure attachment emerged as the central category in the development of maladjustment among adolescents in blended families. This category was influenced by causal conditions (life ups and downs), contextual and background conditions (cultural conditions and background), and intervening conditions (characteristics of the stepfamily and the quality of interpersonal relationships). In response to the lack of secure attachment, adolescents employed coping strategies that included certain defense mechanisms (idealization, fantasy, retreating into smartphones/virtual space, and emotional disengagement), which ultimately led to consequences such as academic and psychological problems among adolescent boys in blended families. ▌Conclusion: The findings suggest that adolescents’ vulnerability to maladaptive behaviors in blended families is not solely attributable to the conditions of the blended family itself. Rather, stressful events arising from previous family circumstances and the developmental characteristics of adolescence, in combination with blended family conditions, contribute to adolescent maladjustment.