Resilience in the Face of Risk : Investigating the Moderating Effects of School Connectedness, Educational Commitment, and Educational Belief in the Context of Adolescent Antisocial Behaviour

According to the Social Development Model (SDM), social bonds such as one’s sense of connection to school can significantly impact antisocial behaviour. The current study provides a cross-sectional analysis of school bonding in relation to antisocial behaviour and peer-related risk in a sample of 111 adolescents. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to evaluate the dimensions of school bonding (educational commitment, educational belief, school connectedness) as both predictors and inhibitors of antisocial behaviour. Contrary to the SDM, educational commitment was the only significant predictor of antisocial behaviour. Furthermore, preliminary analyses did not support school bonding variables as moderators of peer-related risk. However, subsequent analyses examining moderation by gender revealed that school connectedness is a moderator of deviant peer affiliation for female youth. The results of this study extend previous findings by demonstrating the continued relevance of school-based resilience in high school and by illustrating the specificity of this resilience by gender.