Adolescent Adjustment Problems Mediate the Association Between Racial Discrimination and School Connectedness.

Abstract

Whereas previous research suggests a positive association between racial discrimination and early adolescent adjustment problems, few studies examine the relationship between discrimination and school connectedness as it relates to adjustment problems among Hispanic early adolescents. In this study, we examined if depressive symptoms and conduct problems would mediate the concurrent association between perceived racial discrimination and school connectedness among Hispanic early adolescents. Participants for this study were 192 11-15-year-old (M=12.1; SD=.95) Hispanic middle school students. Using multigroup path analyses, we examined the indirect association between racial discrimination and school connectedness through adjustment problems, and the equivalence of the associations across girls and boys. Racial discrimination was positively associated with depressive symptoms and conduct problems for both girls and boys. In turn, depressive symptoms were negatively associated with school connectedness for girls only, whereas conduct problems were negatively associated with school connectedness for boys only. In consideration of study findings, school personnel should be mindful of Hispanic adolescents who display depressive symptoms or conduct problems, as they may be highly vulnerable to lower levels of school connectedness when experiencing racial discrimination.