The Influence of Parental Neglect on School Dropout among Multicultural Adolescents: The Double Mediation Effect of Teacher Relationships and School Adjustment

As the population of multicultural adolescents in Korean society continues to grow(Basic Educational Statistics, 2023), the need for research on the characteristics and adaptation of these adolescents is growing. In particular, multicultural adolescents have a higher school dropout rate compared to their non-multicultural peers, which underscores the need to study risk factors related to dropout among these adolescents. This study aims to examine the double mediation effect of teacher relationships and school adjustment on the influence of parental neglect on school dropout among multicultural adolescents. SPSS Process Macro (Model 6) was used for analysis, utilizing data from the 9th wave (2019) of the first wave of the Multicultural Adolescent Panel Data, with a sample of 1,146 participants. The results show that parental neglect significantly influences both lifestyle and attitude-related school dropout risk factors, as well as dropout risk factors related to peer and senior-junior relationships, through teacher relationships and school adjustment. Specifically, school maladjustment affects lifestyle and attitude-related dropout risk factors, while school adjustment impacts dropout risk factors related to peer and senior-junior relationships. Based on these findings, this study suggests appropriate intervention methods to address school dropout among multicultural adolescents.