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Parent attachment, school commitment, and problem behavior trajectories of diverse adolescents
Wendy Cavendish1, Amie L Nielsen, Marjorie Montague
1University of Miami, Teaching and Learning, Miami, FL 33146, USA. wendycavendish@comcast.net
Journal of Adolescence
|September 4, 2012
Summary
Parent attachment may reduce adolescent alcohol use, while teachers may perceive more behavior problems in minority and special education students. Adolescent alcohol use frequency increases over time.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Adolescent Health
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Adolescence is a critical period for behavioral development and substance use.
- Understanding factors influencing behavior problems and alcohol use in minority youth is crucial.
- Previous research highlights the impact of social and environmental factors on adolescent outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine growth trajectories of behavior problems and alcohol use from early to late adolescence.
- To investigate the influence of parent attachment, school commitment, gender, race/ethnicity, and educational placement.
- To analyze teacher ratings of behavior problems and student self-reports of alcohol use in a diverse urban sample.
Main Methods:
- Multi-level growth modeling was employed to analyze longitudinal data.
- Data were collected from 179 predominantly minority adolescents (9th-11th grade) in an urban school district.
- Variables included teacher-rated behavior problems, student-reported alcohol use, parent attachment, school commitment, gender, race/ethnicity, and special education placement.
Main Results:
- Increased parent attachment was linked to reduced adolescent alcohol use.
- School commitment did not significantly predict problem behavior trajectories.
- Gender, race/ethnicity, and special education placement were significant predictors of behavior problems.
- Teachers perceived higher behavior problems in minority students and those in special education.
- Adolescent alcohol use frequency increased over time, according to self-reports.
Conclusions:
- Parental attachment is a protective factor against adolescent alcohol use.
- Teacher perceptions of behavior problems may be influenced by student demographics and educational placement.
- Adolescent alcohol consumption tends to escalate through high school.
- Interventions should consider socio-cultural factors and support parent-child relationships to mitigate risks.
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