Abstract
Background
We examined whether standardized test scores and grades are related to risky behaviors
among low-income minority adolescents and whether social networks and social-emotional
factors explained those relationships.
Methods
We analyzed data from 929 high school students exposed by natural experiment to high-
or low-performing academic environments in Los Angeles. We collected information on
grade point average (GPA), substance use, sexual behaviors, participation in fights,
and carrying a weapon from face-to-face interviews and obtained California math and
English standardized test results. Logistic regression and mediation analyses were
used to examine the relationship between achievement and risky behaviors.
Results
Better GPA and California standardized test scores were strongly associated with lower
rates of substance use, high-risk sexual behaviors, and fighting. The unadjusted relative
odds of monthly binge drinking was 0.72 (95% confidence interval, 0.56–0.93) for 1
SD increase in standardized test scores and 0.46 (95% confidence interval, 0.29–0.74)
for GPA of B− or higher compared with C+ or lower. Most associations disappeared after
controlling for social-emotional and social network factors. Averaged across the risky
behaviors, mediation analysis revealed social-emotional factors accounted for 33%
of the relationship between test scores and risky behaviors and 43% of the relationship
between GPA with risky behaviors. Social network characteristics accounted for 31%
and 38% of the relationship between behaviors with test scores and GPA, respectively.
Demographic factors, parenting, and school characteristics were less important explanatory
factors.
Conclusions
Social-emotional factors and social network characteristics were the strongest explanatory
factors of the achievement-risky behavior relationship and might be important to understanding
the relationship between academic achievement and risky behaviors.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: April 18, 2017
Accepted:
April 2,
2017
Received:
August 26,
2016
Footnotes
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Identification
Copyright
Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Academic Pediatric Association
