The Role of Family Background in Adolescent Risky Behavior Development

This study examines the role of family background in the development of adolescent risk behavior using a sample of 614 secondary school students (mean age = 16.8). The results show that the quality of the parent-child relationship is a stronger predictor of adolescent risk behavior than family structure itself. Adolescents from non-intact families who reported strong attachment to their parents exhibited similarly low levels of risk behavior as those from intact families. In contrast, weak parental attachment was associated with significantly higher engagement in substance use, delinquency, and bullying. Parental smoking emerged as a significant risk factor for adolescent substance use, whereas parental alcohol consumption showed no significant effect. Gender did not moderate the relationship between family variables and risk behavior. These findings highlight parental attachment as a key protective factor and suggest that strengthening parent-child relationships may be more effective in preventing adolescent risk behavior than focusing solely on family structure.