The protective role of school connectedness in the relationship between child maltreatment and internalizing symptoms for White, Black, Latino/Hispanic, and multiracial youth

Abstract

Background: Child maltreatment is a public health concern associated with increased youth internalizing symptoms. School connectedness has been shown to play a protective role in the relationship between child maltreatment and externalizing symptoms; yet, its protective role on internalizing symptoms for youth in different racial/ethnic subgroups remains underexplored. Objective: This study aimed to examine whether school connectedness buffers the effect of child maltreatment on internalizing symptoms for White, Black, Latino/Hispanic, and multiracial youth. Participants and setting: Data were drawn from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal birth cohort study in 20 US cities, comprising 3021 youth with maltreatment experiences. Methods: Ordinary least squares regression models were conducted separately for racial/ethnic subgroups to examine the interaction effect between child maltreatment subtypes and school connectedness on internalizing symptoms (i.e., youth-reported depression/anxiety, caregiverreported internalizing symptoms) for White, Black, Latino/Hispanic, and multiracial youth. Results: School connectedness was generally associated with lower levels of youth internalizing symptoms for all racial/ethnic groups. Interaction effects suggested that, for White youth only, school connectedness moderated the relationship between psychological aggression and caregiver-reported youth internalizing symptoms (B = -1.46, p = .029) and physical assault and youth-reported depressive symptoms (B = -1.04, p = .044). Conclusions: While school connectedness was linked to lower internalizing symptoms for all youth, its buffering effects against child maltreatment were less evident among minoritized racial/ethnic groups. Continued efforts should prioritize creating supportive school contexts to better serve the needs of racially/ethnically minoritized youth with maltreatment histories.