Piotrowska Patrycja J, Stride Christopher B, Maughan Barbara, Rowe Richard
Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Management School, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.
SSM Popul Health. 2019 Jan 14;7:100353. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100353. eCollection 2019 Apr.
A number of studies demonstrate a social gradient in behavioural problems, with children from low-socioeconomic backgrounds experiencing more behavioural difficulties than those from high-socioeconomic families. Antisocial behaviour is a heterogeneous concept which includes diverse behaviours such as physical fighting, vandalism, lying, disobedience and irritability. It remains unclear whether the mechanisms underlying social inequalities are similar across these different subtypes of antisocial behaviour. This study aimed to simultaneously test a range of individual, family and neighbourhood factors as mediators of the relationship between income and subtypes of antisocial behaviour.
Data on a UK representative sample of 7977 children and adolescents, aged 5-16, was analysed in a series of nested structural equation models. A range of antisocial outcomes, including irritability, aggression, and callous-unemotional traits, were measured. Income quintiles were used to indicate family socioeconomic status. A range of potentially mediating or confounding variables, such as family functioning and parental mental health, were also measured.
Analyses revealed that unhealthy family functioning, neighbourhood disadvantage, stressful life events and children's literacy difficulties were mediating variables contributing to the indirect effect of income on a range of antisocial behaviours.
As expected family functioning accounted for a substantial proportion of the association between SES and antisocial behaviour, we also found evidence that child cognitive functioning might perform an important role. Our findings emphasise the importance of addressing the mechanisms underlying the association between SES and behavioural problems.
多项研究表明行为问题存在社会梯度，来自社会经济背景较低家庭的儿童比来自社会经济背景较高家庭的儿童面临更多行为困难。反社会行为是一个异质性概念，包括身体攻击、破坏公物、说谎、不服从和易怒等多种行为。目前尚不清楚这些不同亚型反社会行为背后的社会不平等机制是否相似。本研究旨在同时检验一系列个体、家庭和邻里因素作为收入与反社会行为亚型之间关系的中介因素。
对英国7977名5至16岁儿童和青少年的代表性样本数据进行了一系列嵌套结构方程模型分析。测量了一系列反社会结果，包括易怒、攻击性和冷酷无情特质。收入五分位数用于表明家庭社会经济地位。还测量了一系列潜在的中介或混杂变量，如家庭功能和父母心理健康。
分析表明，不健康的家庭功能、邻里劣势、压力性生活事件和儿童识字困难是导致收入对一系列反社会行为产生间接影响的中介变量。
正如预期的那样，家庭功能在社会经济地位与反社会行为之间的关联中占很大比例，我们还发现有证据表明儿童认知功能可能发挥重要作用。我们的研究结果强调了解决社会经济地位与行为问题之间关联背后机制的重要性。
