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Prospective Associations Between Youth Assets and Truancy Within the Context of Family Structure
Louisiana Montserrat Sanchez1, Roy Frank Oman1, Taylor Lensch2
1School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV, 89557.
Background:
The purpose of this study was to examine the prospective associations between 17 individual, family, and community level youth assets and truancy among adolescents living in 1-parent and 2-parent households.
Methods:
Five waves of data were collected annually over a 4-year period from a racially/ethnically diverse sample of adolescents (N = 722, 51.5% female, mean age = 14.1 years). Generalized linear mixed models were used to identify prospective associations between youth assets and truancy while stratifying by family structure and controlling sociodemographic characteristics.
Results:
Five of the 17 youth assets were significantly associated (p < .05) with reduced odds of truancy among adolescents living in 1-parent households compared to 10 of 17 assets for adolescents living in 2-parent households. The significant asset/truancy associations were stronger for adolescents living in 1-parent households, whereas for adolescents living in 2-parent households, more of the community assets were significantly protective (p < .05) from truancy.
Conclusion:
Assets that focus on supporting adolescents' future aspirations and expectations may reduce truancy among those living in 1-parent households, whereas assets that promote community involvement and increased interaction with teachers and peers may protect adolescents living in 2-parent households from truancy.
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