Social reproduction and mental health : investigating the role of schooling on wellbeing over the life course

Abstract

2 ii Abstract Social Reproduction and Mental Health: Investigating the role of schooling on wellbeing over the life course (Under the direction of Alisa K. Lincoln, Carmel Salhi, and John L. Griffith) Background: Educational attainment has a significant positive association with physical and mental health. Typically, this research has focused on the health benefits conferred by additional years of schooling or credentials. Recent findings suggest that facets of education including school quality and school-connectedness also have implications for health. Drawing from the theory of social reproduction and a life course perspective, we explore how stratification and socialization processes responsible for the reproduction of social inequality in schools also influence mental health and wellbeing. Method: Using a multi-methods approach, we combine longitudinal survey data with in-depth qualitative interview data. First, using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and AdultHealth (Add Health), we use multilevel linear regression to examine the association between exclusionary discipline policies and depressive symptoms among students with no history of suspension or expulsion. We then examine whether this association is explained by schoolconnectedness. In Study 2, using the Add Health, we examine the cumulative influence of peer prejudice in adolescence with discrimination in adulthood on depressive symptoms in adulthood, and whether this association is modified by race/ethnicity. In Study 3, we use thematic analysis to analyze forty-five in-depth qualitative interviews to explore the role and meaning of schooling among public mental health service users. Results:The first study provides evidence that exclusionary school discipline is associated with increased depressive symptoms among students with no history of suspension or expulsion and iii this relationship is explained by adolescents' sense of school-connectedness. The second study supports the cumulative burden of discrimination in adolescence and young adulthood on depressive symptoms in adulthood. In Study 3, we identified several themes that highlight the significance of stratification and socialization processes for participants' experiences in school.These processes shaped educational expectations setting them up for poor educational outcomes and potentially influencing their social integration and wellbeing as adults.Conclusion: By focusing on stratification and socialization, these findings highlight how inequality in schools manifests on mental health and wellbeing. Socialization messages and the stratification of students across schools and classrooms expose students to stressors which are often unique to more disadvantaged school contexts and disproportionately affect marginalized student populations. In light of inequities in schooling across race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status, these findings suggest that the processes of schooling have important implications for disparities in mental health status. iv Dedication For Dad and Asher v Ac...