Youth & Society

The present study uses an ecological systems perspective to examine how parental involvement in school-related activities in sixth grade influences early adolescents’ school bonding and academic achievement in eighth grade. Results of multilevel models of multiple data sources (i.e., adolescents, parents, and principals) suggested that parents’ involvement in school, as reported by the adolescent in sixth grade, was a significant predictor of school bonding and academic grades in eighth grade. Furthermore, parent reports of guidance, support, and involvement in school and non-school activities were unrelated to their adolescents’ grades and school bonding. Finally, schools’ efforts to engage parents did not consistently predict an association between parental involvement and adolescent outcomes.

This study examined the relations among sport involvement and social and personal influences on high school students’ educational expectations and attainment, using National Education Longitudinal Survey-88. Athletic engagement, educational expectations of significant others, peer support for academics, parental involvement in academics, and academic and athletic identities were measured in the 10th grade. Educational expectations and attainment were measured in the 12th grade and 8 years after high school. Socioeconomic status, academic ability, and school size were controlled. Results indicated that athletic engagement was related to youths’ formation of identities, but only their academic identity was associated with later educational outcomes. Athletic engagement and identity were not adversely related to educational outcomes.

The current study examined the association between playing high school football and involvement in violent behaviors in sibling pairs drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). The analysis revealed that youth who played high school football self-reported more violence than those youth who did not play football. Quantitative genetic analyses revealed that 85% of the variance in football participation was the result of genetic factors and 62% of the variance in violent behavior was due to genetic factors. Additional analyses indicated that 54% of the covariance between football participation and violence was due to genetics and 46% was the result of nonshared environmental influences. However, even after controlling for genetic influences, participation in football appeared to increase violent behavior.

Why are transfer students at an increased risk for disengagement and dropout? Previous research suggests that the loss of school-based social relationships play a role. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) are used to analyze what predicts student transfer and what effect this has on students’ social relationships. Results are based on propensity score matching techniques and are compared with those from a more traditional approach that utilizes regression methods. Findings indicate transfer students report fewer school friends and fail more courses. In addition, transfer students report increased closeness to their teachers after changing schools. Conclusions point to the importance of gatekeepers within institutions, such as teachers, to help individuals rebuild social solidarity after mobility between institutions.

This study investigated the contribution of assimilation, sociodemographic factors, and social supports to depressive symptoms in immigrant adolescents, using Waves I and II of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 4,263). Immigrant adolescents reported more risk factors and higher levels of depressive symptoms than native peers. However, generational status ceased to be a correlate of depressive symptoms when sociodemographic variables were controlled. Findings challenge assimilation theories premised on the assumption that immigrants face unique migration-related challenges. Immigrant adolescents are vulnerable due to greater likelihood of increased age, a racial/ethnic minority status, and lower socioeconomic status. They are also at a comparative disadvantage for social supports. Stress and supports were identified as mediators with unique relationships to sociodemographic factors. Assimilation theory, social network theory, and an ecological perspective informed the study.

The relationship between religious service attendance and adolescent externalizing behavior is well established in the aggregate, but little is known about what behavioral and psychosocial differences may or may not exist among adolescents who regularly attend religious services. Using a nationally representative sample of frequent religious service attending adolescents (N = 26,765), latent class analysis and multinomial regression were used to examine the relationships between latent externalizing classes and protective factors related to self-control. Results revealed a four-class solution comprised of a normative class (66.52%) as well as three externalizing classes: substance users (17.17%), fighters (12.65%), and severe offenders (3.66%). Compared with the normative class, members of the externalizing classes were significantly less likely to benefit from individual, parental, and academic protective factors related to self-control. Findings suggest that regular religious service attendance is relevant to externalizing behavior, but that it does not function as a panacea.