School Discipline as a Consequence of Violent Victimization in Adolescence: Understanding the Mediating Roles of Head Injury and Behavior

Abstract

Pathways from violence to head injury and poor long-term outcomes have been found among numerous populations, however, have not yet been widely examined with youth exposed to violence. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are linked to a range of consequences salient to adolescent development and well-being, such as impulsivity, academic abilities, and emotional processing. This gap in research has led to a missed opportunity to understand the consequences of youth victimization, particularly within the academic setting. The current study examined whether head injury and problem behaviors mediate the relationships between victimization and suspension/expulsion using data from the Pathways to Desistance Study, a multi-site, longitudinal study of serious adolescent offenders age 14–18. A sample of male youth who had witnessed violence ( n = 1,094) reported a total score of victimization, number of early behavior problems (i.e., cheating, fighting, etc.), ever having a head injury (32.9%), and number of times suspended (adjusted M = 13.13; SD = 19.31) or expelled (adjusted M = 0.65; SD = 0.99). Structural equation modeling was used to examine direct and indirect pathways from victimization to suspension and expulsion through head injury and behavior. Direct pathways from victimization to school discipline were significant; indirect pathways mediated by only head injury were not significant, but indirect pathways through only problem behavior and through TBI and problem behavior were significant for both expulsion and suspension. Results suggest that youth who have been victimized are at higher risk for both suspension and expulsion and that this risk may be, in part, explained through increased head injury and problem behaviors. TBI screenings/services for violence-exposed youth and trauma-informed school-based services may help to deter trajectories toward suspension and expulsion but should be developed with attention to the influence of racial bias on pathways to school discipline.

Protective factors for suicidal ideation among Black adolescents indirectly exposed to community violence

“…In addition to serious physical health consequences and risk of death (Wright et al, 2017), Black adolescents’ community violence exposure has been linked with depressive, anxious, and post‐traumatic stress symptoms, as well as externalizing behaviors ranging from impulsivity and aggression to conduct problems and substance use (Fowler et al, 2009). Troubling in their own right, each of these internalizing and externalizing concerns during adolescence has been shown to forecast difficulties in social, academic, and physical health domains enduring in adolescence and into adulthood (Hsieh et al, 2021; Loomis et al, 2020). In addition, community and population‐based research highlights community violence exposure as a risk for youth's suicide ideation and attempts (see Castellví et al, 2017 for a review), though research focused exclusively on Black youth is limited.…”