Child and Youth Care Forum
Volume 45, Issue 2, 2016, Pages 279-299

Exploring the Social-Ecological Determinants of Physical Fighting in U.S. Schools: What about Youth in Immigrant Families? (Article)

Hong J.S.* , Merrin G.J. , Peguero A.A. , Gonzalez-Prendes A.A. , Lee N.Y.
  • a School of Social Work, Wayne State University, 4756 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202, United States, Department of Social Welfare, Sungkyunkwan University, Humanities and Social Science Campus, 61505 Suseon Hall, 25-2 Sungkyunkwan-ro, Jongro-gu, Seoul, South Korea
  • b Division of Child Development, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 210 Education Building, 1310 S. Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, United States
  • c Department of Sociology, Virginia Tech, 560 McBryde Hall (0137), 225 Stranger Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
  • d School of Social Work, Wayne State University, 4756 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202, United States
  • e School of Social Work, University of Michigan, 1080 South University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106, United States, Department of Political Science, University of Michigan, 5700 Haven Hall, 505 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1045, United States

Abstract

Background: Despite the growing presence of immigrant families in the US, little is known about physical fighting in school among youth from those families. Objective: The present study examines the social-ecological determinants of school physical fighting among youth in immigrant families. Implications for practice are also discussed. Method: Using the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study data set, the study sample consisted of 4288 immigrant students in 9th–12th grade. Models were estimated using multivariate logistic regression. Variables in the individual, family, friend/peer, and school contexts were included by fitting four hierarchical logistic models to the data. Results: Results indicated that youth in immigrant families who are males, in lower grade level, racial/ethnic minorities, and of low family socio-economic status (individual) were likely to engage in physical fights. Youth in immigrant families who feel detached from their parents (family); speak another language with friends (friend/peer); and perceive school discipline to be unfair, feel discriminated against by teachers, and who perceive school crimes to be a problem (school) are also at an elevated risk of physical fights. Conclusion: Findings from the study contribute to a growing body of research on youth in immigrant families. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Author Keywords

youth Social-ecological framework immigrants Fighting Adolescents

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84959159037&doi=10.1007%2fs10566-015-9330-1&partnerID=40&md5=300dbe27a5cc97301128cae76d9f858a
DOI: 10.1007/s10566-015-9330-1
ISSN: 10531890
Cited by: 3
Original Language: English