Ambiente comunitario y actitud hacia la autoridad: Relaciones con la calidad de las relaciones familiares y con la agresión hacia los iguales en adolescentes

Abstract

The present study explores the relations between the perception of the family relationships, community environment and adolescents' attitude towards figures of authority (police and teachers) and social rules, in the prediction of subjective wellbeing and a current behavior problem like peer aggression. In order to test these multiple relations, we used a sample of 554 adolescents of both sexes, aged between 12 and 16 years. Data were collected in two waves with a 6-month interval and were analyzed by means of structural equation models, including a multigroup analysis by sex. The results obtained indicate that positive family relations are related to a positive perception of the community environment and also to positive attitudes towards authority and towards social rules. These factors act as protectors against subsequent involvement in aggressive behaviors towards peers in the school setting and they also promote subjective wellbeing. The resulting model is equivalent for boys and girls. © 2014: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia.