Race, Sex, and Discrimination in School Settings: A Multilevel Analysis of Associations With Delinquency

Jan 16, 2018The Journal of school health

How Race, Sex, and School Discrimination Are Linked to Student Delinquency

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Abstract

An analysis of data from 8,947 students found that race, sex, perceived peer inclusion, and teacher discrimination are predictors of delinquent behaviors.

Perceived peer inclusion within schools may influence the frequency of delinquent behaviors among students.
The proportion of African Americans in teaching roles is associated with students' self-reported delinquent behaviors.
Discrimination experienced from teachers could be linked to higher levels of delinquency in students.
Both individual and school-level characteristics are associated with delinquent behaviors in African American and White students.

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BACKGROUND: Adolescence is a critical phase of development and experimentation with delinquent behaviors. There is a growing body of literature exploring individual and structural impacts of discrimination on health outcomes and delinquent behaviors. However, there is limited research assessing how school diversity and discrimination impact students' delinquent behaviors. In response, the purpose of this study was to assess if individual- and school-level indicators of discrimination and diversity were associated with student delinquent behaviors among African American and White students.

METHODS: We analyzed Wave I (1994-1995) data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Our analysis was limited to 8947 African American and White students (73% White, 48% male, and 88% parent ≥ high school education). We used multilevel zero-inflated negative binomial regression to test the association of individual- and school characteristics and discrimination with the number of self-reported delinquent behaviors.

RESULTS: Race, sex, perceived peer inclusion, and teacher discrimination were predictors of students' delinquent behaviors. The average school perceived peer inclusion and percentage of African Americans in teaching roles were associated with delinquent behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study highlight the potential for intervention at the interpersonal and school levels to reduce delinquency among African American and White students.

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Race, Sex, and Discrimination in School Settings: A Multilevel Analysis of Associations With Delinquency

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