The Protective Effects of School Connectedness for Adolescents Living With Family Stressors

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 4
  In Poster Session: Division E Poster Session: Contemporary Perspectives in Human Development (San Diego)

Abstract

Informed by the bioecological theory, we assessed the potentially protective role of school connectedness for adolescents experiencing various levels of family stressors. We used public data from Wave 6 of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, when the focal child was about 15. Wave 6 data were collected between 2014 and 2017. 3,580 of the eligible 4,663 primary caregivers (73% of the baseline sample) and 3,444 of the eligible 4,663 teens (70% of the baseline sample) completed the surveys. Results from generalized linear models revealed that school connectedness reduced anxiety, reduced depression, and increased positivity for adolescents; however, the benefits were somewhat reduced at high levels of family material hardship or aggravation in parenting, depending on the outcome.

Authors

• Yudan Wang, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

• Amanda McLeroy, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University