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Teacher involvement as a protective factor from the association between race-based bullying and smoking initiation

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Abstract

Experiencing bullying as a victim is associated with negative health and health behavior outcomes, including substance use, among adolescents. However, understandings of protective factors—factors that enhance adolescents’ resilience to the negative consequences of bullying—remain limited. The current study investigates whether teacher involvement protects adolescent students from the association between being bullied due to race and smoking initiation. Students were recruited from 12 Kindergarten through 8th grade schools in an urban school district in the Northeast United States. The analytic sample included 769 students who responded to surveys in 5th or 6th grade (2009), and two years later in 7th or 8th grade (2011). Students primarily identified as Latino and/or Black, and 90 % were eligible for free or reduced lunch. Fifty-four (7 %) students initiated smoking between survey time points. Among students reporting lower teacher involvement, race-based bullying was associated with higher likelihood of smoking initiation (OR \(=\) 1.69, \(p =0.03\)). In contrast, among students reporting higher teacher involvement, race-based bullying was not associated with higher likelihood of smoking initiation (OR \(=\) 0.95, \(p =0.81\)). Results suggest that teacher involvement may protect students from the association between race-based bullying and smoking initiation. Enhancing teacher involvement among students experiencing race-based bullying in schools may limit smoking initiation.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this study came from the Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation; The Kresge Foundation, Emerging and Promising Practices; the National Institute for Child and Human Development (1R01 HD070740); and the National Institute of Mental Health (T32 MH020031). This research was conducted in affiliation with Community Interventions for Health, Oxford Health Alliance, Oxford England. IRB approval was obtained in advance from Yale University, protocol # 0904004988; approvals were also obtained by the New Haven Public Schools, and via parental consent and child assent.

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Correspondence to Valerie A. Earnshaw.

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Earnshaw, V.A., Rosenthal, L., Carroll-Scott, A. et al. Teacher involvement as a protective factor from the association between race-based bullying and smoking initiation. Soc Psychol Educ 17, 197–209 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-014-9250-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-014-9250-1

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