| Abstrakt: |
We use data from a two-wave study of youth in a poor, rural, northern New England county to examine the effects of social attachment (tofamily, school, and community) and personal resources (self-esteem and mastery) on subsequent well-being (obesity, depression, substance use, and delinquency). With statistical adjustments for prior well-being, we find little support for the direct influence of social attachment on well-being; however, we find that social attachment is beneficial for youth with low levels of personal mastery. That is, for all outcomes we consider here, the harmful effects of low mastery are less apparent for youth with high social attachment levels. Such patterns are evident even with adjustments for prior exposure to stressful life events. The results highlight the importance of social and personal resources for the health and wellbeing of American youth in impoverished and geographically isolated contexts. We recommend that future research, practice, and policy emphasize and address the critical roles of both social ties and personal agency for the health and well-being of rural youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
