The Role of Financial Strain in the Association between Household Dysfunction and Adolescent Disciplinary Events and Arrest
 
Rasmey Gomez, MPHc; Mikaela Rojas, MPH; Timothy Grigsby, PhD; Christopher Rogers,
PhD, MPH; Myriam Forster, PhD, MPH
 
Background: Household dysfunction [(HHD) e.g., parent/caregiver alcohol or drug misuse,
mental illness, suicide, divorce, intimate partner violence, or incarceration] are a class of adverse childhood experiences that predict negative health outcomes over the life course. There is considerable evidence that adolescents with a history of early adversity are at greater risk of problem behaviors (e.g., prematurely leaving school, substance use, interpersonal violence) that make them vulnerable for disciplinary action at school, school dropout, and criminal justice involvement. However, little research with diverse school-based samples has explored the role of financial insecurity in the relationship between HHD and adolescent delinquency (e.g., disorderly conduct, truancy, running away, weapons carrying, vandalism, shoplifting, or arrest).
 
Methods: Data are baseline survey of diverse high school students (N=1,564) enrolled in a
school-based study assessing health and developmental outcomes. GLMs tested the association between HHD and delinquent behaviors and arrest, and whether financial insecurity moderated this association, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, poverty status, and state.
 
Results: Half of the sample was female (51%), 29% identified as non-Hispanic White, followed by African American (24%), Hispanic (21%), Multiracial (19%), and Asian (8%). More than one in three students (36%) had 1-2 HHD, and 10% had 3 or more. Over one in seven (14%) students reported disciplinary events for at least one delinquent behavior, and 5% reported being arrested. For every additional HHD stressor was associated with an increased risk ratio of having a disciplinary event at school (RRR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.27, 1.61) or being arrested (RRR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.33, 1.86). Importantly, financial insecurity moderated this association; youth with a history of HHD and experiencing financial insecurity had significantly relative risk of being arrested than youth with a history of HHD but who reported more financially stable backgrounds (p=0.02).
 
Conclusion: These findings underscore the need for intervention efforts that address both trauma and economic hardship in order to prevent or reduce delinquency and justice system involvement among vulnerable youth.