Comparison of parenting styles, risk and violent behavior in adolescents in different educational systems in three cities of Chile

Abstract

Adolescent risk behaviors (substance abuse or auto- hetero-aggressive behaviors) can be compared between geographical locations. En Chile, most studies about them have concentrated in the Región Metropolitana of Santiago, and different theoretical frameworks have been used to explain the correlations between them. Here we study Barber et al framework at the University of Tennesee, that relates parenting styles with adolescent problems, applying the CNAP Plus scale in its version validated in Chile, to a randomized three-stage sample of 2322 youths in 3th and 4th grades of secondary education of private, state subsidized and municipality owned schools in Santiago, Antofagasta andy Concepción. Frequent consumption of tobacco and alcohol was higher among prívate school students, while in the municipal and subsidized school there was more use of tobacco. In municipal schools there was more sonsumption of illegal chemicals. Suicidal ideation was higher in municipal schools (8,2%) than in prívate ones (5,5%). Hetero-aggressive behaviors such as theft, vandalism or fights were more frequent in municipal schools than in private ones. Risk behaviors correlate positively with each other (ilegal druguse with aggression towards self, and violence toward others, as ahto- aggression correlates with hetero-aggression. Parenting styles correlate with adolescent behaviors: at more parental support, less levels of depression and less antisocial behaviors among youngsters. At higher psychological control, more depression and antisocial behaviors; at higher behavioral control, there is less depression and anti-social behaviors among adolescents. These findings support Barber´s model, and open interesting intervention possibilities focusing on the rol of communication and parenting styles in the onset of adolescent health risk behaviors.