AUTHOR=Macková Jaroslava , Dankulincova Veselska Zuzana , Madarasova Geckova Andrea , Jansen Danielle , van Dijk Jitse P., Reijneveld Sijmen A.

TITLE=The Association of Family-Related Adversity With Fighting in Adolescents: Does Hopelessness Mediate This Association?

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=66

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2021.607199

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2021.607199

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> To explore the association of family-related adversities with physical fighting, and whether this association is mediated by hopelessness.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> The sample consisted of 3712 Slovak adolescents (mean age: 13.9, 50.7% girls). Participants answered questions regarding experienced family-related adversities, involvement in physical fighting in the last 12 months and the Hopelessness Questionnaire. First, the association of family adversities in general with fighting and of each of family-related adversity separately was assessed using linear regression models and second, mediation was assessed using the a*b product method with bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Adolescents who had experienced at least one family adversity reported more frequent fighting. Similarly, each of reported family adversities (death of a parent, substance abuse problems of a parent, conflicts/physical fights, divorce) was associated with more frequent fighting among adolescents. The mediation effect of hopelessness was found in each association of family-related adversity with fighting.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> These findings suggest that interventions to support adolescents who had experienced family adversities could among other things be directed at better coping with hopelessness.</p>