This study analyzes the relationship between a multidimensional measure of self-concept, the Self-concept Form-5 Questionnaire (AF5), and drug use among adolescents. From the responses of 632 participants (47.5% females) aged 12 to 17 years (M = 14.88 years, SD = 1.71 years), results showed negative relationships between family, academic and physical self-concept, and drug use. Although a positive relationship between social self-concept and drug use was found, this significant relationship disappeared once the age and sex of adolescents was controlled statistically. Moreover, the study includes other adjustment indicators in adolescence (psychological adjustment, personal competence, antisocial behavior and parenting). Results support the idea of self-concept as an important correlate of psychological well-being and a basic theoretical construct for explaining adjusted and adaptive behaviors in adolescence.Likewise, our results underline the need for statistical control of the effect of a third variable (sex), which could explain some contradictory results reported in the literature (a positive relationship between social self-concept and drug use), so as to avoid reaching conclusions based on spurious relationships.Keywords: Self-concept, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis, adolescence, psychosocial adjustment, drug use. RESUMEN ABSTRACTEste estudio analiza la relación entre el autoconcepto evaluado con una medida multidimensional, el cuestionario Autoconcepto Forma 5 (AF5), y el consumo de sustancias en los adolescentes. A partir de las respuestas de 632 adolescentes (47,5% mujeres), entre 12 y 17 años (M = 14,88 años, DT = 1,71 años), los resultados mostraron relaciones negativas entre el autoconcepto familiar, académico y físico, y el consumo de sustancias.Si bien se encontraron aparentes relaciones positivas con la dimensión social del autoconcepto, estas relaciones desaparecieron al controlar el efecto estadístico del sexo y la edad de los adolescentes. Además, se incluyen otros índices de ajuste (psicológico, competencia personal, conducta antisocial y socialización parental) de los adolescentes. Los resultados refuerzan la idea del autoconcepto como un importante correlato del bienestar psicológico y un constructo teórico básico para explicar las conductas ajustadas y adaptativas en la adolescencia. Igualmente, nuestros resultados avalan la necesidad de controlar el posible efecto estadístico de terceras variables (el sexo), lo que permitiría explicar algunos resultados contradictorios en la literatura (la relación positiva entre el autoconcepto social y el consumo de drogas) y evitar, así, llegar a conclusiones erróneas basadas en relaciones espurias.Palabras clave: Autoconcepto, análisis factorial confirmatorio multigrupo, adolescencia, ajuste psicosocial, consumo de sustancias. Autoconcepto y consumo de sustancias en la adolescencia

This article analyzed perceptions of neighborhood violence of Spanish adolescents (N = 1,015) from authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, and neglectful families, and its association with three sets of developmental outcomes (psychological, behavioral, and academic). Tests of main and interactive effects were conducted to answer research questions regarding the potential moderating role of perceived neighborhood violence on the relationship between parenting styles and developmental outcomes. Results yielded only main effects of parenting styles and perceived neighborhood violence on developmental outcomes, as well as an interaction between gender and perceived neighborhood violence. Parenting styles and perceived neighborhood violence made an independent contribution to adolescent outcomes. Adolescents from authoritative and indulgent families were those who performed better in all developmental domains examined, and adolescents who perceived their neighborhoods as violent performed worse in all outcomes. Results suggested, however, that irrespective of parental behavior, perceived neighborhood violence was a developmental risk in adolescence.

Recent research that relates parenting with adolescent adjustment has shown the importance of considering the cultural context of the relationship. New results are emerging when considering the classical four-typologies model of parental socialization in some European and South-American countries. Among the instruments used in this emergent research is the Parental Socialization Scale ESPA29. This scale is a bi-dimensional parenting instrument that was specifically developed to measure the four parenting typologies, through the dimensions of acceptance/involvement and strictness/imposition. This study examines the good fit of the orthogonal bi-factor model based on the ESPA29 versus one-dimensional and bi-dimensional oblique alternative models, with three adolescent samples from 12 to 17 years old (53.4% girls), from Spain (N = 826), Portugal (N = 752), and Brazil (N = 628). We applied structural equation models (SEMs) to analyze the fit of the models to the data. The results confirm a better fit to the data for the orthogonal bi-factor model versus one-dimensional and bi-dimensional oblique alternative models across country, adolescent sex, and the three age groups. Additionally, the convergent validity of the scale was proved by showing the relation of the two parenting dimensions with self-concept. The results guarantee the adequacy of the ESPA29 to measure parenting styles.

Resumen AbstractThe aim of this study was to analyze the parental socialization styles as a protective or a risk factor for substance use in a sample of 673 Spanish adolescents (51.7% were women) aged 14-17 (M = 15.49, SD = 1.06). All participants completed the Parental Socialization Scale (ESPA29) and a scale of substance use. Additionally, they also completed a scale of delinquency and another one of school misconduct. A multivariate (4×2×2) analysis of variance (MANOVA) was applied for substance use, delinquency and school misconduct with parenting style, sex and age. Results from this study showed that indulgent parenting style was a protective factor for substance use whereas authoritarian style was identified as a risk factor. Moreover, results from protective and risk parenting styles on delinquency and school misconduct were consistent with those obtained on substance use. These findings have important implications for the development of family-based substance use prevention programs among Spanish adolescents and other similar cultures where indulgent parenting style is currently displaying a beneficial impact.

Recent emergent research is seriously questioning whether parental strictness contributes to children’s psychosocial adjustment in all cultural contexts. We examined cross-generational differences in parental practices characterized by warmth and practices characterized by strictness, as well as the relationship between parenting styles (authoritative, indulgent, authoritarian, and neglectful) and psychosocial adjustment in adulthood. Parenting practices characterized by warmth (affection, reasoning, indifference, and detachment) and strictness (revoking privileges, verbal scolding, and physical punishment) were examined. Psychosocial adjustment was captured with multidimensional self-concept and well-being (life satisfaction and happiness). Participants were 871 individuals who were members of three generations of Spanish families: College students (G3), their parents (G2), and their grandparents (G1). Results showed two different cross-generational patterns in parenting practices, with an increased tendency toward parental warmth (parents use more affection and reasoning but less indifference across generations) and a decreased tendency toward parental strictness (parents use revoking privileges, verbal scolding, and physical punishment less across generations). Interestingly, despite cross-generational differences in parenting practices, a common pattern between parenting styles and psychosocial adjustment was found: indulgent parenting was related to equal or even better self-concept and well-being than authoritative parenting, whereas parenting characterized by non-warmth (authoritarian and neglectful) was related to poor scores.