Protective Functions of Family Relationships and School Factors on the Deviant Behavior of Adolescent Boys and Girls

Abstract

This study explores gender differences in the impact of risk and protective factors on adolescent deviant behavior. With a longitudinal design and reports from actual friends, regression analyses indicate that both family and school factors reduced adolescent delinquency and substance use and protected adolescents against the impact of having deviant friends, though school factors were more consistently protective than family factors. The sources of protection differed by gender for each type of deviance.