Abstract

Schools can be regarded as vital spaces for human development and even as factors that protect adolescents from developing risk behaviors. The present study sought to examine the perception of greater school attachment as a protective factor against peer influence in antisocial behaviors in the Chilean context. A stratified sample was used, with an equal allocation of 815 students from 7th to 12th grade enrolled in 15 schools belonging to 5 SES categories, selected randomly in the Metropolitan Region (46.6% female, with an average age of 15.11 years; SD = 1.78). An adaptation of the Communities That Care Youth Survey was used to analyze reports of antisocial behaviors at school, relationships with antisocial peers, drug use by peers, and attachment to school. A multiple regression analysis revealed an interaction effect: for students who perceive more attachment to their school, the influence of peers with antisocial behaviors is moderated relative to those with a perception of low school attachment. This result provides evidence of the importance of school attachment in preventing antisocial behaviors in adolescents and informing prevention programs in school contexts.