Student, school, parent connectedness, and school risk behaviors of adolescents in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: School-related risk behaviours, such as school absenteeism, and engaging in violence on school property are scarcely addressed in the Kingdom. The study investigated select school behaviours, including school absenteeism, engaging in fights, and discipline for misconduct at school as well as their association with the school environment, school and home connectedness. DESIGN AND SETTING: A school-based cross-sectional study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1668 students were selected from high schools in Riyadh on the basis of geographical location (North, South, Middle) and type of school. In each geographical area, the two largest public schools, one private school and one international school were selected. Classrooms with a free period were selected at random, and all of the students in select classrooms were eligible to participate in the study. The study employed a self-administered survey that inquired about school behaviours and student connectedness with their parents and school. RESULTS: Nearly 54% of students skipped school or cut classes for at least 1 h, and out of those students who skipped school, 37% of students skipped school for 1–3 h and 20% of students skipped school for 3 or more hours during the month prior to the survey. Thirty-eight percent of students engaged in fights on school property at least once during the past or current academic year. In addition, 37% of students were disciplined for engaging in school fights, theft or damaging school property at least once. Absenteeism increased with grade, while engaging in school fights and discipline for misconduct decreased with grade. A significantly higher proportion of males exhibited these behaviors, and students who exhibited these behaviors reported significantly lower levels of school connectedness and parental monitoring. Regression analyses suggested that school-student connectedness reduced the odds for all three risk behaviors examined in this study. Parental monitoring reduced the odds for absenteeism, and school policies reduced student involvement in school fights. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the need to develop strategies to enhance the best practices in school settings to promote positive student behavior and school achievement. Schools and parents should be encouraged to work as a team and to recognize the importance of school connectedness in improving positive student behavior and outcomes.