Abstract:

This study aimed to explore the influence of the separation from parents in relationships between school outcomes and emotions during adolescence. 185 high school students, 73% girls, aged between 15 and 20 years (M = 16.57, SD = 1.12) participated to this research. 16.2% of participants were part of single-parent or social families. Other 13% of adolescents were separated from one or both of their parents because of migration.

School adjustment was measured as school grades for the first semester in Language, Math, and school behavior and as number of the school absences; emotion well-being was investigated through five subscales of CDI (Kovacs, 2014): negative mood, interpersonal problems, ineffectiveness, anhedonia, and negative self-esteem. All measurements were made at the beginning of the second semester, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Independent samples t test indicated gender differences in school results and emotion well-being: the girls had higher grades in Language and fewer absences than boys, but also they had higher negative mood and anhedonia. Significant differences were found depending on the separation from parents: adolescents separated from at least one parent had more absences than their colleagues living with both parents. The results of Pearson correlation indicated positive association of Language grades with Math grades and school behavior and negative association with school absences, negative mood, interpersonal problems and ineffectiveness. Regression analysis indicated that separation from parents moderated the relationship between behavioral outcomes and ineffectiveness: at the same level of behavioral outcomes, students separated from their parents had a higher level of ineffectiveness than their peers living with their parents. Separation from parents and gender had independent and interaction effects on the school truancy. Pedagogical implications of association between inappropriate behavior, negative emotions, truancy and school drop out are discussed.

Keywords:

School outcomes, emotions, adolescence, separation from parents.