Emotional, Behavioral and Educational Profiles of Adolescents Identified for School Dropout Preventive Interventions

Preventing school dropout is a national priority as more than one million students dropout of school every year leading to significant personal and societal costs including lost wages, unemployment, health disparities (Balfanz, Bridgeland, Bruce & Fox, 2012). Although risk factors for school dropout are multi-faceted, including having social-emotional concerns and disabilities, high risk social behavior, low education levels of parents, and high family mobility (Hammond, Linton, Smink & Drew, 2007), students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) are at the greatest risk for an array of academic problems (e.g., low grades, grade-retention, absenteeism) contributing to dropout. Indeed, youth with EBD account for nearly half of all high school dropouts (Vander Stoep, Weiss, Kuo, Cheney, & Cohen, 2003) and exhibit poorer school outcomes than students with other disabilities (Davis, Young, Hardman, & Winters, 2011). Preventive intervention strategies for reversing the dropout trajectory and promoting school engagement have been championed (Hammond et al., 2007); however, little is known about the student profiles of youth being referred to dropout preventive intervention programs. The current study utilizes a person-centered approach to identify emotional, behavioral and educational profiles of youth referred to a dropout intervention program. Data was collected from the Center for Adolescents Research in Schools (Kern, Evans, & Lewis, 2011), funded by the Department of Education to test an intervention package for high school students with social, emotional, and behavioral problems. The school-randomized intervention trial occurred across 5 states, 56 high schools, and 647 students. Participants were referred by school personnel for being at greatest risk for dropout based on emotional, behavioral and academic problems. Preliminary results from a sequence of cluster analyses examining parent report of adolescents’ behavioral problems measured by Oppositional Defiance, Inattention, and Impulsivity/Over-reactivity on Disruptive Behavior Disorders Scale, adolescent self-report of Anxiety and Depression on Behavior Assessment System for Children-Second Edition, and school data of student disciplinary referrals, suspensions, and failing grades, suggest 3 profiles of youth: (1)students high in Inattention/Impulsivity, Anxiety, and Referrals (n=319), (2)students high in Anxiety/Depression and Referrals/Suspensions (n=80), and (3)students high in Oppositional Defiance/ Inattention/Impulsivity, Depression, and Referrals/Failing grades (n=204). Subsequent analyses will further examine differences in these student profiles referred based on demographic characteristics, including grade, gender, race, designation as receiving special or general education services, and history of mental health service use. Findings will be discussed in the context of better understanding students referred for school dropout programming, implications for improving screening and intervention-student matching to achieve better outcomes.