Quasi-delinquents And Normal Middle School Students' Parents Attachment And Behavior Problems: A Comparative Study

Objective:To compare the demography character difference between quasi-delinquents and normal middle school students, analysis the relationship among their demography, parent attachment and behavior problems; to develop and testify three structural equation models that assumed a relationship between to the adolescent parent attachment and behavior problems, as mediated by social bond, by negative emotion and by coping.Methods:A cross-sectional study design was used to compare 428 quasi-delinquents and 678 normal middle school students, Students completed the Inventory of parents and Peer Attachment (IPPA), Youth's self Report (YSR), School Attachment Questionnaire (SAQ), Social Support Rating Scale for children and Adolescents (SSRS-CA), Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), Trait Coping Style Questionnaire (TCSQ). Use Chi-square test to explore the demography difference of the quasi-delinquents and normal middle school students; Used Two-factor ANOVA to explore the parent attachment and behavior problems difference among the quasi-delinquents and normal middle school students, boys, girls; Used Hierachiacal Regression Analysis to predict the relationship between the demography, parent attachment and behavior problems; Constructed pathway models, testified them and compare them with Structural Equation Model and Structural Weights ModelResults:(1) The Chi-square test and ANOVA result show there are significant different between quasi-delinquents and normal middle school students on family structure, parents education level, father attachment, mother attachment, aggression, delinquency, withdrawn and social problems (χ2=36.06,24.21,31.16,25.22,35.83,80.98,254.82, 18.60,62.62, P<0.001); there are significant different between boys and girls on mother'trust, mother'communication, mother'alienation and delinquency (F=5.81,17.40,8.28,7.48, P=0.024, P<0.001, P=0.016, P=0.01); the Regressions show that under control the students groups, demography character can significant predicted adolescents'aggression, delinquency withdrawn and social problems:2%,5%,3%,2%(F=87.56, 64.99,3.62,5.76, P<0.001); under control the students groups and demography character parents attachment can significant predicted adolescents'aggression, delinquency, withdrawn, and social problems: 4%,6%,7%,9%(F=80.81,66.27,22.03,11.14, P<0.001)(2) Parents attachment, mediated through adolescent social bond, negative emotion and coping, explains behavior problems, as tested by mediate model. All the fit of the mediation are well:χ2=239.66,χ2/df =4.68, GFI=0.96, NFI=0.95; RESEA=0.07;χ2=250.93,χ2/df=4.92, GFI=0.96, NFI=0.96, RESEA=0.07;χ2=140.19,χ2/df=4.52, GFI=0.96, NFI=0.97, RESEA=0.05; the fit of Unconstrained multi-group model are also well:χ2(df=158, n=898)=424.90,χ2/df=2.69, GFI=0.93, NFI=0.93, RESEA=0.04;χ2=498.63,χ2/df=3.07, GFI=0.91, NFI=0.94, RESEA=0.05;χ2=333.70,χ2/df=3.33, GFI=0.94, NFI=0.94, RESEA=0.05. Assuming model measurement weighs to be correct, used maximum likelihood method and nested model comparison provided a significantly better fit to the dataΔχ2=84.89, P=0.001;Δχ2=51.52, P=0.016;Δχ2=52.86, P=0.003. It shows that there is different pathway of the groups parents attachment, the mediated through adolescent social bond, negative emotion and coping, explains behavior problems.Conclusion:(1) Quasi-delinquents students are more come from single parent family and their parents'educational level are lower. Under control the demography character, parents attachment significant predicated adolescent behavior problems; (2) Quasi-delinquents students school attachment, anger, hostile, depression, negtive coping are significant higer than the normal school students; (3) Quasi-delinquents students'social bond (peer attachment, school attachment, social support), negative emotion (anger, hostile, depression), coping are significant relation to parents attachment and behavior problems. (4) Social bond, negative emotion, coping mediated the relation between parents attachment and behavior problems, and there is different pathway among multi-group.