Family or school: What matters for economically disadvantaged adolescents’ problem behaviors? The mediating role of self-esteem

Most prior research on the relationship between family, school, and problem behaviors in economically disadvantaged adolescents has concentrated on the direct influence, with little attention given to clarifying indirect and longitudinal effect. Therefore, this longitudinal study aimed to test the potential effects of family functioning and school connectedness on problem behaviors in economically disadvantaged adolescents and the mediating role of self-esteem. In total, 466 Chinese adolescents (176 boys) living in economically disadvantaged families certified by local governments participated in this study. The adolescents completed self-report measures of family functioning, school connectedness, self-esteem, and problem behaviors. Results showed that school connectedness could indirectly influence economically disadvantaged adolescents’ problem behaviors via self-esteem, however, family functioning had only an immediate effect. This result has positive implications for interventions targeting economically disadvantaged youth. In the future, intervention programs can be designed at both the individual and school levels to promote the mental health of economically disadvantaged adolescents.