Interpersonal Competence Configurations, Attachment to Community, and Residential Aspirations of Rural Adolescents

Adolescents who grow-up in rural areas often experience a tension between their attachment to the rural lifestyle afforded
by their home community and a competing desire to gain educational, social, and occupational experiences that are only available
in metropolitan areas. While these diverging pressures are well-documented, there is little information about linkages between
rural high school students’ views of their communities, their postsecondary aspirations, and their school adjustment. To address
this issue, this study examined perceptions of community and residential aspirations in an ethnically diverse sample of 8,754
rural adolescents (51.5% female) in relationship to their competence and risk status in high school. Participants were from
73 rural high schools across 34 states. In addition, ratings on participants’ school adjustment were provided by teachers
(n = 667). High competence students (i.e., those in configurations of high positive and low negative teacher-rated characteristics)
expressed positive perceptions of their rural lifestyle and many, particularly girls, indicated an interest in staying in
or returning to their home community. Low competence youth (i.e., those in configurations of low positive and high negative
teacher-rated characteristics) appeared to be less connected to their community and were more likely to express their intent
to leave and not return. These results appear to qualify current concerns about “rural brain drain” and also suggest that
the lack of attachment to the community may be a compounding risk factor for rural adolescents who have significant school
adjustment problems.