Links between family and school ecological risk and adolescent adjustment: An examination of additive effects

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

A number of researchers have investigated ecological risk in the school (e.g., poor teacher training) and family (e.g., high neighborhood violence) contexts. These studies have demonstrated that school and family ecological risk are significantly related to maladaptive outcomes in children and adolescents (e.g., poor school grades, high antisocial behavior; Criss et al., 2017; Whipple et al., 2010). Less is understood about whether experiencing risk in multiple contexts makes unique or additive contributions in the prediction of adolescent adjustment (i.e., additive effects) and whether each context is linked to distinct outcomes. In the current longitudinal study, we examined whether school and family ecological risk were significantly related to adolescent school grades and antisocial behavior among low-income families when examined separately and simultaneously.

The sample consisted of 171 adolescent girls (M age = 13.58; range = 12-17 years, 24.6% European American, 75.4% racial/ethnic minorities) and parents (81.3% biological mothers; Median annual income = $27,300; 42.1% single parents; 47.4% living below poverty line). School ecological risk was based on online public data for the schools attended by the adolescent participants: school letter report card grade, reduced lunch status, teacher experience, parent school involvement, and attendance. Family ecological risk factor was based on primary caregiver education, neighborhood violence, family stress, poverty level, and single parent status. To create each cumulative risk factor separately, families were assigned a “1” if they were at-risk (e.g., high reduced lunches, high family stress) and a “0” if they were not at-risk for each component (e.g., low reduced lunches, low family stress). Each factor was created by summing with a range of 0-5. Two years later, adolescent school grades and antisocial behavior were created using parent and adolescent reports.

The results indicated that high levels of school and family ecological risk were significantly related to high levels of antisocial behavior (rs = .30 & .20, p < .01, respectively) and low levels of school grades (rs = -.27 & -.41, p < .01, respectively). In contrast, the regression indicated that family ecological risk (Std. β = .28, p < .05) but not school ecological risk (Std. β = .12, ns) was significantly and positively related to adolescent antisocial behavior at Time 2 when examined simultaneously. Moreover, school ecological risk (Std. β = -.31, p < .01) but not family ecological risk (Std. β = -.18, ns) at Time 1 was negatively and significantly related to adolescent school grades at Time 2 when examined concomitantly.

In summary, although the initial correlations indicated that school and family ecological risk were both significantly related to adolescent school grades and antisocial behavior two years later, the regression analyses suggest that each context may be linked to distinct outcomes. That is, experiencing risk at school may be a more salient predictor of academic achievement than disruptive behavior. Likewise, family ecological risk may be more relevant as a context for the socialization of antisocial behavior. Future research would benefit from examining other social contexts and adolescent outcomes.

Authors

• Michael M Criss, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater
  Presenting Author

• Latrice Loche, Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory of Houston
  Non-Presenting Author

• Julie M. Koch, Oklahoma State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Dillon J. Federici, Oklahoma State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Erin Wood, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lixian Cui, NYU Shanghai
  Non-Presenting Author

• Amanda Sheffield Morris, Oklahoma State University - Tulsa
  Non-Presenting Author