title: Associations between perceptions of school connectedness and adolescent health risk behaviors in South African high school learners.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study investigated the relationship between school connectedness and health risk behaviors, specifically, substance abuse, violence-related behaviors, sexual risk behaviors, and suicidal ideation among school-going adolescents. School connectedness was understood to encompass a range of aspects pertaining to a learner's sense of belonging to the school. We hypothesized that strong perceptions of school connectedness will more likely be associated with lower levels of risk behaviors among school-going adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in 2 neighboring public co-educational schools in Durban, South Africa. Independent measures assessed school connectedness, substance abuse, violence-related behaviors, sexual risk behaviors, and suicidal ideation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Strong negative correlations were found between adolescents' perceptions of school connectedness and the 4 health risk behaviors, particularly suicidal ideation. The relative importance of risk factors was also evidenced in the sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adolescents with lower perceptions of school connectedness were more likely to engage in various risk behaviors, supporting the literature that a lack of school connectedness can act as a risk factor for adolescent involvement in clustering of risk behaviors. Further the relative weighting of individual risk factors, it is argued, was an effect of the sociocultural context of the study.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Howard College, University of KwaZulu-Natal, King George V Avenue, Durban 4001, South Africa. govenderk2@ukzn.ac.za
authors.forename: Kaymarlin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Govender
authors.forename: Sara Naomi
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Naicker
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meyer-Weitz
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fanner
authors.forename: Avanya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naidoo
authors.forename: Wendy Leigh
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Penfold
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012574:Schools; D012933:Social Identification; D013019:South Africa; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: adolescent; health risk behaviors; school connectedness; sexual risk behavior; substance abuse; suicidal ideation; violence