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Relationships of Social Context and Identity to Problem Behavior Among High-Risk Hispanic Adolescents

University of Miami, SSchwartz{at}med.miami.edu

Craig A. Mason

University of Maine

Hilda Pantin

University of Miami

Wei Wang

University of South Florida

C. Hendricks Brown

University of South Florida

Ana E. Campo

University of Miami

José Szapocznik

University of Miami

The present study was designed to examine (a) family and school functioning and (b) personal and ethnic identity are associated with conduct problems, drug use, and sexual risk taking in a sample of 227 high-risk Hispanic adolescents. Adolescents participated in the study with their primary parents, who were mostly mothers. Adolescents completed measures of family and school functioning, personal and ethnic identity, conduct problems, and drug use. Parents completed measures of family functioning and adolescent conduct problems. Results indicated that school functioning and personal identity confusion are related to alcohol use, illicit drug use, and sexual risk taking indirectly through adolescent reports of conduct problems. Adolescent reports of family functioning are related to alcohol use, illicit drug use, and sexual risk taking through school functioning and conduct problems. Results are discussed in terms of the problem behavior syndrome and in terms of the finding of relative independence of contextual and identity variables vis-à-vis conduct problems, substance use, and sexual risk taking.

Key Words: Hispanic • family • school • personal identity • ethnic identity • conduct problems • substance use • sexual risk taking

This version was published on June 1, 2009

Youth & Society, Vol. 40, No. 4, 541-570 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0044118X08327506


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