Abstract
The effect of childhood trauma, psychiatric diagnoses, and mental health services on school dropout among U.S.-born and immigrant youth is examined using data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys, a nationally representative probability sample of African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Asians, Latinos, and non-Latino Whites, including 2,532 young adults, aged 21-29. The dropout prevalence rate was 16% overall, with variation by childhood trauma, childhood psychiatric diagnosis, race/ethnicity, and nativity. Childhood substance and conduct disorders mediated the relation between trauma and school dropout. Likelihood of dropout was decreased for Asians, and increased for African Americans and Latinos, compared to non-Latino Whites as a function of psychiatric disorders and trauma. Timing of U.S. immigration during adolescence increased risk of dropout.
© 2011 The Authors. Child Development © 2011 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Adolescent
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Adult
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Anxiety Disorders / diagnosis
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Anxiety Disorders / ethnology
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Anxiety Disorders / psychology
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Child
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Conduct Disorder / diagnosis
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Conduct Disorder / ethnology
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Conduct Disorder / psychology
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Depressive Disorder / diagnosis
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Depressive Disorder / ethnology
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Depressive Disorder / psychology
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Emigrants and Immigrants / psychology
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Ethnicity / psychology
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Female
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Humans
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Internal-External Control
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Life Change Events*
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Male
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Mental Disorders / diagnosis
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Mental Disorders / ethnology
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Mental Disorders / psychology*
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Mental Health Services
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Risk Factors
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Statistics as Topic
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Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / diagnosis
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Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / ethnology
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Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology
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Student Dropouts / psychology*
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Substance-Related Disorders / diagnosis
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Substance-Related Disorders / ethnology
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Substance-Related Disorders / psychology
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United States
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Young Adult