The importance of school as a protective factor against deviant behavior and victimization of young adolescents in Italy: the results of the International Self Report Delinquency Study-3 (ISRD-3)

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to observe whether the pleasure of the chosen school and having a favorite teacher are protective factors with respect to the quality of the relationship with one's parents, juvenile deviance, and victimization. Methods: The study analyzes the data collected by a questionnaire “ISRD- 3”, administered to an Italian sample of 3508 young students from 7th to 9th grade. The students live in Brescia, Florence, Genoa, Lecce, Messina, Naples, Siena, and Milan. Specifically, the authors analyze the association among the answers about the relationship with parents, the importance of school, and self-reported delinquency behaviors concerning the presence of the favorite teacher. Results: The pleasure of the chosen school, the lack of a favorite teacher in the event of a transfer, and the fact that what the pupil's favorite teacher thinks is important are protective factors with respect to the commission of deviant acts, respect to the use of drugs, especially the so-called "Soft drugs" (ecstasy, LSD, speed, amphetamines) and "hard drugs" (heroin, cocaine, crack). Those who like their chosen school and have a favorite teacher have a better rela-tionship with their parents, they feel emotionally supported by them to a greater extent than their peers who do not like the chosen school and do not have a favorite teacher. There is no significant relevance with regard to victimi-zation except for cyberbullying: those who have a favorite teacher who misses them in case of transfer and care about their opinion appear to be more victims of cyberbullying. Conclusions: Having a favorite teacher, the opinion of which is important for the pupil constitutes a protective factor against any deviant paths that the pupil may undertake and facilitates relations with parents.