The impact of suspension on participation in school-based extracurricular activities and out-of-school community service

The long-term consequences of school suspension and expulsion on depressive symptoms

Exposure to exclusionary discipline has been tied to several deleterious outcomes in adulthood, including contact with the criminal legal system. While this work provides interesting insight into the long-term consequences tied to this form of school punishment, few have attempted to consider whether and how, exclusionary discipline practices, in particular, school suspension and expulsion shape mental health patterning over the life course. Using panel data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we contribute to this body of literature by examining whether exposure to school suspension or expulsion shapes depressive symptom trajectories from adolescence to adulthood. Results from our mixed-effects linear growth curve models demonstrate both forms of exclusionary discipline play a significant role in depressive symptom trajectories. We find suspended and expelled youth exhibit significantly higher depressive symptoms in adolescence when compared to their counterparts with no history of suspension or expulsion. Results also show age variation in depressive symptom trajectories by history of exposure to exclusionary discipline. Specifically, results show the depressive symptoms gap between disciplined and non-disciplined youth slightly dissipates as youth age into early adulthood, but as individuals begin to transition out of this stage of the life course, the gap in depressive symptoms widens substantially. Results carry implications for how punitive disciplinary practices in schools shape mental health from adolescence to adulthood.

At the Intersection: The Influence of Race on Women’s Leadership Self-Efficacy Development

Leadership self-efficacy (LSE), one’s beliefs in their own ability, knowledge, and skills in leading others effectively, can play a large role in how individuals develop and perform as leaders. Understanding the dynamics of LSE growth may be particularly important when considering the development of female leaders. The institutional barriers and gender inequities experienced by women can change the trajectory of their course to leadership; however, the ways in which the course changes likely differ as a function of intersecting identities. Rather than presume all women share common leadership development opportunities and experiences, we contend that women’s LSE is informed by experiences unique to their racial and ethnic backgrounds. According to intersectionality theory, individuals are part of multiple social categories that can shape their experiences. In the current paper, we focus on how the intersection of gender and race influence the development of LSE across the life span for White, Black, Asian American women, and Latinas. Integrating social cognitive theory with intersectionality theory, we explore how gendered and racialized experiences prior to and during adulthood shape women’s leadership self-efficacy. We also discuss ways that organizations can help reduce and counteract negative consequences of barriers to LSE for different women.