Parents, teachers and peer relations as predictors of risk behaviors and mental well-being among immigrant and Israeli born adolescents

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Abstract

This study examines the roles of parents (monitoring, involvement and support at school), teachers (support) and peers (excess time spent with friends, peer rejection at school) in predicting risk behaviors (smoking and drinking) and mental well-being among 3499 Israeli-born and 434 immigrant adolescents ages 11, 13 and 15, in the 2006 WHO Health Behavior in School-Aged Children cross-national survey. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) showed that for native Israeli youth, in line with previous developmental literature, all three relationships – parents, teachers and peers – have a significant impact on both mental well-being and risk behaviors. However, for immigrant adolescents, it was the school environment (parental support at school, teacher support and peer relationships) that proved to be the significant predictor of risk behaviors and mental health outcomes. These findings suggest that the school is an important social support in the health and mental well-being of immigrant schoolchildren.

Section snippets

Main text

This study examines the role of parent, teacher and peer relationships in the development of risk behaviors (smoking/drinking) and mental well-being among Israeli-born and immigrant adolescents in Israel. It asks whether traditional developmental models, emphasizing the importance of parent and peer relations in adolescent well-being, can be seen to be relevant for immigrant adolescents or whether they need to be modified for children whose parents have immigrated to a new country.

The role of

Method

This study was based on Israeli data from the 2006 WHO Health Behavior in School-Aged Children cross-national survey conducted in 41 countries in Europe and North America conducted among children aged 11, 13 and 15 (6th, 8th and 10th grade). The HBSC is a school-based survey of adolescent health behaviors and psychosocial determinants, carried out every 4 years, using an international standardized methodological protocol (Currie et al., 2001, Harel-Fisch et al., in press). A standard,

Differences between immigrants and Israeli-born adolescents in relationships with significant others, risk behaviors and mental well-being

Significant differences were found between the two populations on most variables (see Table 1). Israeli-born respondents reported higher levels of parental monitoring, support in school and involvement and higher levels of teacher support. Immigrant adolescents reported higher levels of social rejection at school, more excess time spent with friends, and higher levels of cigarette smoking, nargilla smoking, binge drinking and being drunk, and lower mental health.

Relationship between significant adults and peer relationships, risk behaviors and mental well-being

As can be seen from Table 2,

Discussion

Major findings were that Israeli-born adolescents reported higher levels of parental monitoring, support and involvement at school, and teacher support than their immigrant counterparts. However, immigrant adolescents reported higher levels of perceived social rejection at school, more excess time spent with friends, and higher levels of mental distress and risk behaviors (cigarette smoking, binge drinking and being drunk). From the immigrant adolescents' perspective, their immigrant parents

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