Interactions of School Bonding, Disturbed Family Relationships, and Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents.
BACKGROUND
Substance use, gambling, and violence represent a great risk for adolescent health. Schools are often referred to as the "best" places for health promotion and prevention, where positive school bonding serves as a strong protective factor for the development of risk behaviors and poor school bonding is associated with various risk behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the risk effect of disturbed family relations, the protective effect of school bonding, and the extent to which school can compensate for the negative effect of an adverse family environment related to the risk behaviors of the adolescents.


METHODS
A self-reported questionnaire was administered to a random sample of students in grades 9-11 from 30 high schools. A total of 1519 respondents were included in the analysis. Covariance analysis was used to test the impact of sex, school year, school bonding, and family relationships on risk behaviors and the interaction effect of school bonding and family relationships.


RESULTS
Both dimensions of school bonding, attachment to school, and commitment to schooling, were found to be significant predictors of risk behavior, with a commitment to schooling being an even more significant predictor than disturbed family relations. Students with greater school bonding and unfavorable family circumstances reported fewer risk behaviors than students of equal family circumstances but weak school bonding.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings emphasize the role of the school as a social compensator for the adverse effects of a disturbed family environment.
Teaching Institute for Public Health of Primorsko-goranska County, 52A Kresimirova, Rijeka 51000, Croatia. darko.rovis@zzjzpgz.hr.
Darko
D
Rovis
Institute for Social Research in Zagreb, 8/III Amruseva, Zagreb 10000, Croatia. petar@idi.hr.
Petar
P
Bezinovic
University of Zagreb Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, 83F Borongajska cesta, Zagreb 10000, Croatia. josipa947@gmail.com.
Josipa
J
Basic
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010379:Peer Group; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
adolescents; family health; risk behaviors; school bonding