1. An Assets Approach To The Role Of Family, School & Community
Young People's Multiple Risk Behaviour
An Assets Approach To The Role Of Family, School & Community
Professor Fiona Brooks, Jo Magnusson, Neil Spencer, Antony Morgan
CRIPACC
University of Hertfordshire

2. What is HBSC?
Unique international study that gathers data from young people about their health and wellbeing
Purpose to increase knowledge and understanding of adolescent health in relation to their social and developmental context
HBSC surveys conducted every 4 years in member countries
Standard international questionnaire & survey method
plus optional question packages
Data collected on 11,13 and 15 year olds in 43 member countries across Europe and North America.

3. Health Related Behaviours
Measures
Measures in HBSC
Health Related Behaviours
Health and
Well-being
Includes measures on physical, emotional and social health and well-being
Measures comprehensive range of behaviours both risk and promote health
Places health and behaviour of young people in social and developmental context
Family Life
School
Peers and Community 4

4. Premise
Adolescence perceived as period of ‘risk taking’ – BUT Risk behaviours often looked at in isolation
Certain amount of risk taking among young people is ‘normal’
Frequent involvement in multiple risk behaviours may be problematic
Need to understand what assets operate to protect against young people getting involved in multiple risk behaviours 

5. 40 Development Assets (Scales, 2001)
Commitment to learning (achievement motivation)
Positive values (caring and responsible to others)
Social competencies (cultural competence, peaceful conflict resolution
Positive identity (self esteem
BUT…. REPRESENT A STARTING POINT….
Support (family relationships, caring school and neighbourhood)
Empowerment (community values youth, young people seen as resources)
Constructive use of time (participation in clubs and associations)

6. Modelling Assets Using HBSC
Are some assets (protective factors) more important than others? - keystone
What are the cumulative effects of multiple assets on young people's mental and physical well being?
What are the processes that lead to assets having an impact ?
How do different social and cultural contexts impact on the benefits of these assets?
UK context
Are some assets more important for different groups?

7. Multiple substance use among 15 year olds

8. Assets Modelling Assets Four categories of assets were investigated:
sense of belonging (associated with family (FSB), school (SSB) and neighbourhood (NSB))
autonomy (personal autonomy in relation to family (PAF), and peers (PAP), and student autonomy in relation to school (SAS)
social networking (associated with neighbourhood (NSN))
social support (associated with family communication with father (FCF), family communication with mother (FCM), teachers (TSS) and peers (PSS))

9. Questions used to assess risk
The scores were
added together; a total score of 0 was taken to indicate no
risk (31.9% of cases), a total score between 1 and 5 inclusive
was taken to indicate some risk (50.2% of cases) and total
scores of 6 and above were taken to indicate high risk
(17.8% of cases).

10. Risk Behaviour Index
1087 students provided information on all the risk behaviour variables
32% no risk category
50% moderate or some risk (1-5)
18 % high risk (score 6-10)

11. Effects retained in the model
Personal autonomy in relation to family
Lower personal autonomy associated with lower risk
School sense of belonging.
High school sense of belonging associated with lower risk
Neighbourhood sense of belonging
Medium or high neighbourhood sense of belonging associated with lower risk

12. Interaction effects
School Social Support (via teachers) (TSS), and Gender
Girls had lower risk than boys when TSS was high
School Social Support (via teachers) (TSS), and Family Sense of belonging (FSB),
High levels of TSS was associated with less risk than medium TSS, but low levels of TSS was associated with greater risk only when FSB was also low.

13. Family Findings Illustrate
How parental regulation of adolescent autonomy and negotiation over leisure operates as a protective mechanism against multiple and high frequency risk behaviours.
family affluence not retained in the model adds weight to the need to understand health related risk taking in adolescence as determined by a broad range of contextual factors.

14. School
Findings indicate the importance of adults other than parents, as protective assets for the health and wellbeing of young people, especially in relation to the significance of having a personal connection to a teacher when parental connectivity may be low.

15. Community
considered how informal aspects of the local environment have significance for young people.
Illustrates significance of growing up in a community with strong cohesion in which adolescents feel a positive sense of belonging.
Young people’s feelings of safety in the out of home setting, having a place in their community and perceiving the wider adult community as supportive, - important protective function
Increased independence is a normative developmental task of adolescence is likely to be a time when young people are experiencing public spaces without parental supervision

16. Multiple substance use among 15 year olds
Protective Factors/Assets – most vulnerable
1. Parental participation in how spend free time
2. Teacher Connectedness
3. Feeling safe in community and having friendly neighbourhood

17. Main Findings
Core domains of social capital operate as protective assets
in terms of frequency and clustering of high risk behaviours.
Levels of autonomy within the family and teacher support were important predictors of adolescent health related behaviours.
A positive sense of community cohesion and belonging is a significant protective asset
Low teacher connectedness becomes a significant risk factor when family control over autonomy was also low.
No relationship was found between involvement in multiple substance use over the last 30 days and family affluence (FAS).
The findings highlight the significance for young people of having access to some form of adult support for the prevention of multiple risk behaviours.

18. Key issues
Highlights key aspects of physical health and family, school and community life that may be most significant in terms of contributing to protecting against multiple risk behaviours
Feeling safe and comfortable in community environments
Parental Monitoring
more important than family activities and communication for this aspect of adolescent well-being NOT others
Protective aspects of teacher connectedness
Peers less important as a protective asset than might be anticipated

19. Thank-you
Paper: Brooks, F., Magnusson, J., Spencer, N. & Morgan, A. (2012) Adolescent Multiple Risk Behaviour: An Assets Approach To The Role Of Family, School And Community Journal Of Public Health,

20. Effects retained in the model

21. Assets Patterns Across the Risk Index