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

Many culturally and linguistically diverse adolescents in South Korea have been exposed to neglect and often decide to drop out of school. 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 %). This study utilizes a multivariate latent growth model to address the research questions. 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. 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.