Deviant Peer Affiliation Measure

Previous research demonstrated the association between parent–adolescent relationship quality and deviant peer affiliation, but it is unclear whether this relation is mediated by other psychological and interpersonal variables, whether father– and mother–adolescent relationship quality have different pathways in predicting deviant peer affiliation, and whether gender moderates these associations. A sample of 543 students from grades 10 to 12 (42.7% male; age M = 16.2 years, SD = 1.0) was selected from a Chinese high school in Shenzhen, China. They provided demographic variables and completed self-report measures of father– and mother–adolescent relationship quality, self-control, friendship quality, and deviant peer affiliation. The results showed that lower father–adolescent relationship quality was associated with lower self-control, which in turn was associated with higher deviant peer affiliation. Mother–adolescent relationship quality did not have direct or indirect association with deviant peer affiliation. In addition, male and female adolescents had no significant difference in the associations between father– and mother–adolescent relationship quality, self-control, friendship quality, and deviant peer affiliation. Implications and limitations of these findings were discussed.

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Cumulative risk and problem behaviors among Chinese left-behind children: A moderated mediation model

School Psychology International ◽

10.1177/0143034319835255 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (3) ◽

pp. 309-328 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Huijie Lei ◽

Qinghua Zhang ◽

Xiying Li ◽

Hang Yang ◽

Weiping Du ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Problem Behaviors ◽

Effortful Control ◽

Ecological Model ◽

Cumulative Risk ◽

Deviant Peer Affiliation ◽

Peer Affiliation ◽

Delinquent Behaviors ◽

Left Behind ◽

Moderated Mediation Model ◽

Demographic Covariates

The problem behaviors exhibited by left-behind children occur within multiple contexts, and are influenced by cumulative risk, including family, peer, and school characteristics; however, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying the relationship between such problem behaviors and cumulative risk. A total of 1,313 Chinese left-behind children were recruited to complete anonymous questionnaires measuring cumulative risk, deviant peer affiliation, effortful control, and delinquent behavior. After controlling demographic covariates, cumulative risk is positively associated with problem behaviors. Furthermore, deviant peer affiliation was found to partially mediate the association between cumulative risk and problem behaviors. Both the direct association between cumulative risk and delinquent behaviors and the indirect effect of deviant peer affiliation were moderated by effortful control, specifically; the effects were stronger for left-behind children with low levels of effortful control. These results highlight the significance of the cumulative ecological model for understanding and developing intervention programs to reduce left-behind children's problem behaviors.

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