Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
School of Social Work
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
More than two million students a year leave high school without a completion credential (NCES, 2024). Students who drop out are at-risk for detrimental long-term outcomes physically, mentally and economically (Rumberger, 2020). Students with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are significantly more likely to have poor educational outcomes, including school dropout (Metzler et al., 2017; Pan et al., 2019). However, there is limited insight into what affects the pathway between ACEs and poor educational outcomes for students (Dupéré et al., 2019; Morrow & Villodas, 2018). Informed by prominent dropout theories with ecological foundations and the theory of stress and coping, this study sought to examine how the dropout process is influenced by ACEs directly and indirectly through disengagement, while exploring school connectedness and perceptions of care in extra-familial relationships as moderators on the direct and indirect pathways. Data came from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), yielding a nationally representative sample of 9,419 individuals who were interviewed in the first four waves of the study. PROCESS Macro was used to analyze longitudinal data in mediation and moderated mediation models. Results showed that student disengagement partially mediated the relationship between ACEs and receiving a high school diploma. School connectedness moderated the indirect effect of ACEs on receiving a high school diploma through disengagement. Both perceptions of care and school connectedness had an interaction effect on the direct relationship between ACEs and receiving a high school diploma, whereas the number of ACEs increased, the influence of perceptions of care and school connectedness on receiving a high school diploma decreased. Results suggest that school connectedness may be protective in preventing disengagement for students with ACEs. However, the impact of ACEs stifles the influence of social support on increasing the likelihood of receiving a diploma. Implications for social work and school-based practice, policy, and research are discussed.
Date
3-28-2025
Recommended Citation
Pounders, Rachel D., "Adverse Childhood Experiences and High School Dropout: The Roles of Student Disengagement and Social Support" (2025). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 6718.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/6718
Committee Chair
Dr. Laura Ainsworth