Social and School Connectedness in Early Secondary School as Predictors of Late Teenage Substance Use, Mental Health, and Academic Outcomes

Abstract

Purpose: To examine associations between social relationships and school engagement in early secondary school and mental health, substance use, and educational achievement 2-4 years later. Methods: School-based longitudinal study of secondary school students, surveyed at school in Year 8 (13-14-years-old) and Year 10 (16-years-old), and 1-year post-secondary school. A total of 2678 Year 8 students (74%) participated in the first wave of data collection. For the school-based surveys, attrition was <10%. Seventy-one percent of the participating Year 8 students completed the post-secondary school survey. Results: Having both good school and social connectedness in Year 8 was associated with the..