The Longitudinal Effects of Exclusionary School Discipline on Adolescent Well-Being

Exclusionary school discipline practices (EDPs), such as school suspensions, are increasingly linked to poorer academic outcomes and increased contact with the legal system. However, the short-term effects of EDPs on other aspects of adolescent well-being, including mental health concerns and perceived unfair treatment, have received limited attention. Using five waves of data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development^SM Study^® (n = 11,831, 48% female, 52% White, 15% Black, 19% Hispanic), the current study examined how EDPs predict changes in externalizing and internalizing symptoms as well as perceived unfair treatment by a teacher. After adjusting for baseline EDPs, externalizing concerns, and covariates, we found that EDPs reported at follow-up waves were associated with increased odds of youth- and caregiver-reported externalizing symptoms, youth-reported internalizing symptoms, and youth-reported perceived unfair treatment by a teacher at the subsequent wave. These associations were observed above and beyond each outcome’s predicted trajectory. However, baseline EDPs showed limited and inconsistent associations with overall symptom trajectories, suggesting that single time point EDP effects on adolescents’ overall trajectories may underestimate the cumulative impact of repeated discipline over time. This is particularly concerning given that most disciplined adolescents experienced repeated EDPs. Race and ethnicity did not consistently or robustly moderate these associations. Findings underscore the need for interventions that minimize the repeated use of exclusionary discipline.