Effects of Parental Divorce, Parental Involvement, and Teacher Support on Adolescents’ Externalizing Behaviors: A National Survey Study

Parental involvement and teacher support have protective effects on adolescents’ externalizing behaviors. However, few studies investigated their interaction on externalizing behaviors among Chinese adolescents from divorced families. Guided by the stress-buffering theory, this cross-sectional study investigated the interactive effects between parental divorce, parental involvement, and teacher support on adolescents’ externalizing behaviors among Chinese adolescents. Participants were the nationally representative sample of 8218 Chinese students (M_age = 14.51 years, SD = 0.68 years; including 560 students from divorced families and 7658 students from intact families). Parental involvement, teacher support, and externalizing behaviors were primarily measured by related items in a student-reported questionnaire. Results indicated that: (1) adolescents from divorced families had lower levels of parental involvement and higher levels of externalizing behaviors compared with adolescents from intact families; (2) teacher support had stronger protective effect on externalizing behaviors among adolescents from divorced families compared with adolescents from intact families; (3) the interactive effect between parental involvement and teacher support on externalizing behaviors was significant among adolescents from divorced families, but not significant for adolescents from intact families. These findings support the stress-buffering model of social support, and have important practical implications for preventing externalizing behaviors among adolescents from divorced families.