Longitudinal study of externalizing behaviors in Latino/a adolescents: An examination of parenting and educational factors

As the Latino/a population increases externalizing behaviors among adolescents continue to concern researchers and clinicians. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) data were used to analyze direct and indirect effects of parenting and academic factors on externalizing behavior among Latino/a adolescents over time, using latent growth curves and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results indicated that higher levels of maternal warmth, the adolescent-teacher relationship, and academic achievement were all negatively associated with initial levels of externalizing behavior and in some cases negatively predicted the rate of change of externalizing behavior. Some predictors were also all found to be positively associated with academic achievement. Academic achievement acted as a mediator between most of the predictors and externalizing behavior. Implications are discussed.