TY - JOUR
T1 - School racial-ethnic discrimination, rule-breaking behaviors and the mediating role of trauma among Latinx adolescents
T2 - Considerations for school mental health practice
AU - Meléndez Guevara, Ana Maria
AU - White, Rebecca M.B.
AU - Lindstrom Johnson, Sarah
AU - Nair, Rajni L.
AU - Roche, Kathleen M.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by research grant R01 HD090232 (PI: Roche) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Support was also provided by the William T. Grant Foundation (PI: Whit).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - Much of the literature linking adversity to trauma fails to account for racialized experiences, including racial-ethnic discrimination, which is a highly prevalent form of adversity for youth of color in the U.S. Adversity and trauma often result in students experiencing elevated rule-breaking behaviors, exacerbating existing racial-ethnic disparities in disproportionate school discipline. Drawing from race-based trauma theory, the present study explored trauma as a mediator of the longitudinal association between racial-ethnic discrimination from teachers, other adults, and students in schools and rule-breaking behaviors among Latinx youth. Data were from a longitudinal study of 547 Latinx students in a southeastern U.S. state. Across gender and nativity groups, school racial-ethnic discrimination and trauma positively predicted later rule-breaking behaviors. Additionally, for girls only, increased levels of trauma partially explained the association between school racial-ethnic discrimination and rule-breaking behaviors. The study highlights the importance of addressing school racial-ethnic discrimination and trauma in equitable school metal health systems. Indeed, efforts aimed at reducing disproportionate school discipline among Latinx students should focus on reducing their exposure to school racial-ethnic discrimination and increasing access to trauma-informed and restorative justice approaches.
AB - Much of the literature linking adversity to trauma fails to account for racialized experiences, including racial-ethnic discrimination, which is a highly prevalent form of adversity for youth of color in the U.S. Adversity and trauma often result in students experiencing elevated rule-breaking behaviors, exacerbating existing racial-ethnic disparities in disproportionate school discipline. Drawing from race-based trauma theory, the present study explored trauma as a mediator of the longitudinal association between racial-ethnic discrimination from teachers, other adults, and students in schools and rule-breaking behaviors among Latinx youth. Data were from a longitudinal study of 547 Latinx students in a southeastern U.S. state. Across gender and nativity groups, school racial-ethnic discrimination and trauma positively predicted later rule-breaking behaviors. Additionally, for girls only, increased levels of trauma partially explained the association between school racial-ethnic discrimination and rule-breaking behaviors. The study highlights the importance of addressing school racial-ethnic discrimination and trauma in equitable school metal health systems. Indeed, efforts aimed at reducing disproportionate school discipline among Latinx students should focus on reducing their exposure to school racial-ethnic discrimination and increasing access to trauma-informed and restorative justice approaches.
KW - equity
KW - racial-ethnic discrimination
KW - trauma
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U2 - 10.1002/pits.22562
DO - 10.1002/pits.22562
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85106682997
SN - 0033-3085
VL - 59
SP - 2005
EP - 2021
JO - Psychology in the Schools
JF - Psychology in the Schools
IS - 10
ER -