Longitudinal relationships amongst child neglect, social relationships, and school dropout risk for culturally and linguistically diverse adolescents

Background: Many culturally and linguistically diverse adolescents in South Korea have been exposed to neglect and often decide to drop out of school. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the developmental trajectories of child neglect, peer relationships, student-teacher relationships, and dropping out of school and the putative protective role of peer relationships and student-teacher relationships on the influence of perceived neglect on school dropout risk. Participants and Setting: The data were taken from a three-wave longitudinal sample from the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Data, which consisted of 1316 culturally and linguistically diverse adolescents who were in the 7th to 9th grades (Female: 50.8 %). Methods: This study utilizes a multivariate latent growth model to address the research questions. Results: The results indicated that child neglect, peer relationships, student-teacher relationships, and dropping out of school showed linear changes over time. Child neglect had a direct longitudinal effect on decreasing peer relationships and student-teacher relationships; it also increased school dropout risk. Positive peer relationships and student-teacher relationships had a direct effect on decreasing school dropout risk. Peer relationships and student-teacher relationships had a mediating effect on the relationship between school neglect and dropping out of school, but the mediating effect of those factors was significant only at the cross-sectional level. Conclusions: This study suggests that among culturally and linguistically diverse students, building positive relationships with peers and teachers each year may reduce the negative effect that neglect can have in leading a student to drop out of school.