Suspended by Association: Vicarious Suspension as a Catalyst for Adolescent School Discipline

• In Event: Friendship Networks and Delinquency in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood, Session 2: Peers and Punishment

Abstract

Literature has demonstrated that vicarious exposure to negative stimuli, such as discrimination, victimization, and arrest can lead to deleterious outcomes. However, school discipline research has yet to consider the impact of vicarious suspension, or friendships with suspended peers. Accordingly, this paper investigates whether direct ties to suspended friends influence an individuals’ odds of suspension later in adolescence. This paper also examines whether indirect ties (e.g., being the friend of a friend) to suspended peers in a friendship network influences one’s risk of subsequent suspension. The analysis utilizes two waves of data on 2,402 students (Mean Age = 15.5; Age Range = 11-22) across 15 schools from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Results indicate that direct and indirect exposure to suspended peers at wave 1 increases an individual’s odds of suspension at wave 2, while controlling for individual covariates, lagged suspension, and deviant network connections. Findings demonstrate that the negative impacts of school discipline can spread through networks, which has theoretical and policy implications.

Author

• Daniel Trovato, Northeastern University