The Link between Primary School Students’ Psychosocial Outcomes and Parental School Involvement in the Department of Intibucá, Honduras

ABSTRACT

In countries facing violence, education can play an important role in ensuring children’s psychosocial adjustment. Little empirical research has examined the link between parental school involvement and psychosocial outcomes. This cross-sectional survey of 1,269 parents in the Department of Intibucá, Honduras, examined parental involvement and results from the Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), finding few differences between boys and girls, though urban children scored higher than rural children, and mothers had higher involvement than fathers. Reading to children was linked to psychosocial adjustment more than helping with homework or visiting school; from among SDQ sub-scales, prosocial behavior was most associated with parental involvement. Parental involvement could be an effective point of intervention to foster psychosocial adjustment in Honduran students.

KEYWORDS:

• Honduras
• Latin America
• parental engagement
• psychosocial well-being
• strengths and difficulties questionnaire

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).