Youth in foster care face many academic risks, including diminished engagement in school and behavior problems that further threaten learning and academic achievement. However, school engagement is responsive to contextual change, leaving many opportunities to intervene upon school engagement and boost overall functioning. The present study examines the mediating and moderating potential of aspects within the relational context of school engagement and academically threatening behaviors, using a national sample of adolescent foster youth. Findings indicate that greater school engagement and more positive perceptions of relationships with both peers and foster parents were associated with lower self-reported internalizing, and lower self- and caregiver-reported externalizing behaviors. Peer relationships moderated the association between school engagement and youth-reported externalizing, and foster parent–youth relationships moderated the association between school engagement and youth-reported internalizing. Furthermore, peer relationships mediated the association between school engagement and internalizing, but not externalizing behaviors, while relationships with foster parents mediated associations between school engagement and both self- and caregiver reports of both internalizing and externalizing. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

寄养家庭中的青年面临许多学术风险，包括参与学校活动减少和行为问题，这进一步威胁了学习和学习成绩。但是，学校参与对环境的变化有反应，留下了很多机会干预学校参与并增强整体功能。本研究使用青少年寄养青少年的全国样本，研究了学校参与程度和学术威胁行为之间的中介和调节潜力。研究结果表明，更多的学校参与和对同伴和养父母的关系的更积极的认识与较低的自我报告的内在化，较低的自我和照顾者报告的外在化行为有关。同伴关系减轻了学校参与和青年报告的内部化之间的联系，而父母与父母之间的关系促进了学校参与和青年报告的内部化之间的联系。此外，同伴关系介导了学校参与和内部化之间的关联，而不是外部化行为，而与养父母的关系则介导了学校参与与内部化和外部化的自我和照顾者报告之间的关联。讨论了对未来研究和实践的影响。而非外在行为，而与养父母的关系则介导了学校参与与自我和照顾者关于内在化和外在化的报道之间的联系。讨论了对未来研究和实践的影响。而非外在行为，而与养父母的关系则介导了学校参与与自我和照顾者关于内在化和外在化的报道之间的联系。讨论了对未来研究和实践的影响。