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School disconnectedness: identifying adolescents at risk
A E Bonny1, M T Britto, B K Klostermann
1Children's Hospital Medical Center, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. bonna0@chmcc.org
Pediatrics
|November 4, 2000
Summary
School connectedness, feeling close to school, is linked to fewer adolescent health risks. Factors like declining health, nurse visits, smoking, and no extracurriculars indicate lower connection, helping target interventions.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent Health
- School Psychology
- Public Health Interventions
Background:
- School connectedness is a protective factor against adolescent health risk behaviors.
- Identifying factors associated with low school connectedness is crucial for targeted interventions.
- Adolescence is a critical period for developing health behaviors and school-community ties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors that differentiate adolescents with high versus low school connectedness.
- To inform the development of school-based interventions for at-risk youth.
- To understand predictors of school connectedness in a diverse student population.
Main Methods:
- Survey administered to 7th-12th grade students in 8 public schools.
- School Connectedness Score (SCS) derived from 5 survey items.
- Bivariate, stepwise linear, and logistic regression analyses used to identify predictors of SCS.
Main Results:
- 1959 usable surveys (56% response rate) analyzed; sample was 47% white, 38% black, median age 15.
- Seven variables (gender, race, extracurricular involvement, cigarette use, health status, school nurse visits, school area) significantly predicted SCS.
- Lower SCS was associated with declining health status, increased school nurse visits, cigarette use, and lack of extracurricular involvement.
Conclusions:
- Potentially modifiable factors associated with lower school connectedness include declining health, increased school nurse visits, cigarette use, and lack of extracurricular involvement.
- Black race, female gender, and urban school settings were also linked to lower SCS.
- Findings suggest school health providers can use these markers to identify and assist youth needing support for school connectedness and health.
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