The importance of school connectedness in adolescent risk taking and injury prevention

Presentation at PHAA 39th Annual ConferenceCanberra, 2009

Rebekah Chapman, Dr Lisa Buckley, Prof Mary Sheehan

Adolescent injury• Need for preventive intervention prior to

dramatic increase in injury at 14-15 years:

% deaths due to injury

AIHW, 2008

Risk taking and injury• A high level of injuries among adolescents

are due to risk taking – Including violence & transport risks; often

occurring in the context of alcohol use

• Those 11-15 year olds who report high levels of risk taking - 2.46 times more likely to report medically treated injuries (Pickett et al., 2002)

Model for intervention

Reduced risk-taking behaviour

Injury prevention & control

Injury support services:

police/ emergency services

Self-management:

first aid & attitudes

School connectedness

Peer & parental

relationships

School connectedness• “Extent to which students feel personally

accepted, respected, included and supported by others in the school social environment” (Goodenow, 1993)

• Also referred to as: - Engagement - Attachment - Bonding - Involvement

Connectedness research

• Academic motivation and achievement (e.g. Bond et al., 2007; Archambault, et al., 2009)

• Emotional well being (e.g. Shochet et al., 2006/2007; Bond et al., 2007)

• Risk taking behaviour, including drug and alcohol use, violence & sexual risk behaviours (e.g. Resnick et al., 1993; McNeely & Falci, 2004; Voisin et al., 2005 ; Bond et al., 2007)

Research aim• Research has not yet addressed links

between school connectedness and adolescent injury

• Aim: To examine the relationship between school connectedness and adolescent risk taking and injury

Methodology• 595 year 9 students (13-14 years):

– 295 males, 300 females– From 5 Southeast Qld public high schools

• Active parental and student consent• Response rate 73% • Surveyed by researchers during health

classes

Survey• Injury (E-AIC; Chapman et al.)

– e.g. “Being in a physical fight with someone”; “Riding in a car”; “Riding a bicycle”

• Risk taking (ASRDS; Mak, 1993, Western et al., 2003)– e.g. “Deliberately hurt or beaten up somebody”; “Ridden

in a car with someone who has been drinking”

• School connectedness (SCCP-II; Lickona & Davidson, 2003)– e.g. “Students can talk to their teachers about their

problems”; “Students try to look out for each other”; “Teachers go out of their way to help students”

Results• Mean school connectedness score:

– Males: 5.74; Females: 6.04 (p < .05)• Reported any transport & violence risks & injury:

p<.05

Results: Risk taking behaviour and connectedness

Males Females

Con

nect

edne

ss s

core

All sig. different at p<.05 All sig. different at p<.05

Results: Transport injuries and connectedness

Males Females

Con

nect

edne

ss s

core

p<.05

Results: Violence/ alcohol injuries and connectedness

Males Females

Con

nect

edne

ss s

core

All sig. different at p<.05 All sig. different at p<.05

Conclusions• Lower school connectedness among 13-

14 year olds associated with:– Transport risk behaviours (males & females);

passenger and motorcycle injuries (males)– Violence and associated injuries– Alcohol/substance use and alcohol related

injuries

Conclusions• School connectedness consistently

shown to be an important protective factor in adolescence

• May be an important factor to target in school based risk and injury prevention programs

Model for intervention

Reduced risk-taking behaviour

Injury prevention & control

Injury support services:

police/ emergency services

Self-management:

first aid & attitudes

School connectedness

Peer & parental

relationships

Questions?

“What we have found is that kids who felt connected to school smoked less, drank alcohol less. On top of this… they do better across every academic measure we have. There is something in that bond, in that connection to school that changes the life trajectory - at least the health and academic behaviour. It is very powerful - second only to parents in power. In some contexts it's more powerful than parents.” – Robert Blum, ADD Health Study