IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v168y2025ics0190740924006054.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • Xu, Yanan
  • Dong, Yakun
  • Wang, Dongfang
  • Wang, Yuxiang
  • Hu, Bo
  • Liu, Fang
  • Li, Zhihua

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Xu, Yanan & Dong, Yakun & Wang, Dongfang & Wang, Yuxiang & Hu, Bo & Liu, Fang & Li, Zhihua, 2025. "Family or school: What matters for economically disadvantaged adolescents’ problem behaviors? The mediating role of self-esteem," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:168:y:2025:i:c:s0190740924006054
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.108033
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740924006054
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.108033?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anat Shoshani & Sarit Steinmetz, 2014. "Positive Psychology at School: A School-Based Intervention to Promote Adolescents’ Mental Health and Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 15(6), pages 1289-1311, December.
    2. Kalu, Sandra R. & Menon, Sujeeta E. & Quinn, Camille R., 2020. "The relationship between externalizing behavior and school and familial attachments among girls from diverse backgrounds," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    3. Wenceslao Peñate & Melissa González-Loyola & Cristian Oyanadel, 2020. "The Predictive Role of Affectivity, Self-Esteem and Social Support in Depression and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-11, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhihua Li & Huihui Chen & Yanan Xu & Xian Zhao & Zhuoling Xiong, 2025. "Development Trajectories and Influencing Factors of Conduct Problems in Adolescents from Low-Income Families," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 18(1), pages 423-442, February.
    2. Shiri Lavy, 2020. "A Review of Character Strengths Interventions in Twenty-First-Century Schools: their Importance and How they can be Fostered," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 15(2), pages 573-596, April.
    3. Vincenza Capone & Mohsen Joshanloo & Miriam Sang-Ah Park, 2022. "Job Satisfaction Mediates the Relationship between Psychosocial and Organization Factors and Mental Well-Being in Schoolteachers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-14, December.
    4. L. Lambert & H.-A. Passmore & N. Scull & I. Al Sabah & R. Hussain, 2019. "Wellbeing Matters in Kuwait: The Alnowair’s Bareec Education Initiative," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 143(2), pages 741-763, June.
    5. Claudio Barbaranelli & Marinella Paciello & Valentina Biagioli & Roberta Fida & Carlo Tramontano, 2019. "Positivity and Behaviour: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy in Organisational and Educational Settings," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 707-727, March.
    6. Egim, Joyce Ekpo & Ewa, Moses Apie, 2024. "Parent-School-Community Participation and Social Emotional Learning: A Strategy for Improving Well Being of Out-of-School Students in Calabar Metropolis," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(3s), pages 1109-1125, March.
    7. İbrahim Demirci, 2020. "School Engagement and Well-Being in Adolescents: Mediating Roles of Hope and Social Competence," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(5), pages 1573-1595, October.
    8. Ditzel, Loreto & Casas, Ferran & Torres-Vallejos, Javier & Reyes, Fernando & Alfaro, Jaime, 2022. "Children participating in after-school programs in Chile: Subjective well-being, satisfaction with free time use and satisfaction with the program," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    9. Yuhang Wu & Huilie Zheng & Zhitao Liu & Shengwei Wang & Xiaoyun Chen & Huiqiang Yu & Yong Liu & Songbo Hu, 2021. "Depression and Anxiety-Free Life Expectancy by Sex and Urban–Rural Areas in Jiangxi, China in 2013 and 2018," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-11, February.
    10. Anne Kennes & Johan Lataster & Mayke Janssens & Marianne Simons & Jennifer Reijnders & Nele Jacobs & Sanne Peeters, 2023. "Efficacy of a School-Based Mental Health Intervention Based on Mindfulness and Character Strengths Use Among Adolescents: a Pilot Study of Think Happy-Be Happy Intervention," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 677-697, February.
    11. Rafael Zapata-Lamana & Cristian Sanhueza-Campos & Marcia Stuardo-Álvarez & Jessica Ibarra-Mora & Marcela Mardones-Contreras & Daniel Reyes-Molina & Jaime Vásquez-Gómez & Nicole Lasserre-Laso & Felipe , 2021. "Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem and a Low Happiness Index Are Associated with Poor School Performance in Chilean Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-18, November.
    12. Chiara Ruini & Elisa Albieri & Fedra Ottolini & Francesca Vescovelli, 2023. "Improving Purpose in Life in School Settings," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(18), pages 1-13, September.
    13. Valentina Reyes & Wenceslao Unanue & Marcos Gómez & Diego Bravo & Jesús Unanue & Claudio Araya-Veliz & Diego Cortez, 2022. "Dispositional Gratitude as an Underlying Psychological Process Between Materialism and the Satisfaction and Frustration of Basic Psychological Needs: A Longitudinal Mediational Analysis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 561-586, February.
    14. L. Lambert & H.-A. Passmore & M. Joshanloo, 2019. "A Positive Psychology Intervention Program in a Culturally-Diverse University: Boosting Happiness and Reducing Fear," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 1141-1162, April.
    15. Niamh O’Brien & Martin Lawlor & Fiona Chambers & Wesley O’Brien, 2020. "State of Mind Ireland-Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Evaluation of a Positive Mental Health Intervention," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-23, July.
    16. Lauren H. Naples & Elizabeth D. Tuckwiller, 2021. "Taking Students on a Strengths Safari: A Multidimensional Pilot Study of School-Based Wellbeing for Young Neurodiverse Children," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-27, June.
    17. Lucy Morrish & Nikki Rickard & Tan Chyuan Chin & Dianne Anne Vella-Brodrick, 2018. "Emotion Regulation in Adolescent Well-Being and Positive Education," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(5), pages 1543-1564, June.
    18. Pandya, Samta P., 2023. "Adolescents raised by single parents: Examining the impact of spiritual education lessons on school connectedness, wellbeing, and resilience," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    19. María Elena Gutiérrez-Hernández & Luisa Fernanda Fanjul & Alicia Díaz-Megolla & Pablo Reyes-Hurtado & Jonay Francisco Herrera-Rodríguez & María del Pilar Enjuto-Castellanos & Wenceslao Peñate, 2021. "COVID-19 Lockdown and Mental Health in a Sample Population in Spain: The Role of Self-Compassion," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-14, February.
    20. Freire, Teresa & Lima, Isabel & Teixeira, Ana & Araújo, Marta Raquel & Machado, Alexandra, 2018. "Challenge: To Be+. A group intervention program to promote the positive development of adolescents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 173-185.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:168:y:2025:i:c:s0190740924006054. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.