Abstract
The current study explored the relationship between school climate perceptions and self-reported mental health among 415 high school students. Mental health was defined comprehensively via indicators of positive functioning (life satisfaction) and psychopathology (internalizing and externalizing problems). Regression analyses indicated that students’ perceptions of six dimensions of school climate (sharing of resources, order and discipline, parent involvement, school building appearance, student interpersonal relations, and student–teacher relations) accounted for a total of 15–22 % of the variance in indicators of their mental health, above and beyond between-school differences in outcomes. Bivariate links emerged between positive perceptions of each school climate dimension and better mental health. Parent involvement was the most consistent unique predictor of mental health. Worse perceptions of the peer interpersonal relations, equal sharing of school resources, and physical appearance of one’s school building uniquely predicted greater psychopathology (externalizing and internalizing problems, respectively), whereas teacher–student relations were particularly associated with wellness (among girls only). Across indicators, school climate was more highly associated with girls’ mental health. Directions for future research and implications for educators are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aalsma, M., Liu, G., & Wiehe, S. (2011). The role of perceived parent monitoring and support on urban child and adolescent problem behavior. Community Mental Health Journal, 47, 61–66.
Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. A. (2001). Manual for ASEBA school-age forms and profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth & Families.
Ash, C., & Huebner, S. (2001). Environmental events and life satisfaction reports of adolescents: A test of cognitive mediation. School Psychology International, 22, 320–336.
Barbarasch, B., & Elias, M. J. (2009). Fostering cool climate in schools. In R. W. Christner & R. B. Mennuti (Eds.), School-based mental health: A practitioner’s guide to comparative practices (pp. 125–148). New York, NY: Routledge.
Baumeister, R., & Leary, M. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497–529.
Bear, G. G. (2008). School-wide approaches to behavior problems. In B. Doll & J. A. Cummings (Eds.), Transforming school mental health services: Population-based approaches to promoting competency and wellness of children (pp. 103–141). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Benson, P. L., & Scales, P. C. (2009). The definition and preliminary measurement of thriving in adolescence. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4, 85–104.
Cohen, J., & Geier, V. K. (2010). School climate research summary: January 2010. New York, NY. Retrieved from http://www.schoolclimate.org/climate/research.php.
Crosnoe, R., Erickson, K., & Dornbusch, S. (2002). Protective functions of family relationships and school factors on the deviant behavior of adolescent boys and girls: Reducing the impact of risky friendships. Youth Society, 33, 515–544.
Day, R. D., & Padilla-Walker, L. M. (2009). Mother and father connectedness and involvement during early adolescence. Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 900–904.
Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. The American Psychologist, 55, 34–43.
Eliot, M., Cornell, D., Gregory, A., & Fan, X. (2010). Supportive school climate and student willingness to seek help for bullying and threats of violence. Journal of School Psychology, 84, 533–553.
Esler, A. N., Godber, Y., & Christenson, S. L. (2008). Best practices in supporting school-family partnerships. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp. 917–936). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
Espelage, D. L., & Swearer, S. M. (2003). Research on school bullying and victimization: What have we learned and where do we go from here? School Psychology Review, 32, 365–383.
Fan, W., Williams, C. M., & Corkin, D. M. (2011). A multilevel analysis of student perceptions of school climate: The effect of social and academic risk factors. Psychology in the Schools, 48, 632–647.
Gilman, R., & Huebner, S. (1997). Children’s reports of their life satisfaction: Convergence across raters, time and response formats. School Psychology International, 18, 229–243.
Gottfredson, G., Gottfredson, D., Payne, A., & Gottfredson, N. (2005). School climate predictors of school disorder: Results from a national study of delinquency prevention in schools. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 42, 412–444.
Greenspoon, P. J., & Saklofske, D. H. (2001). Toward an integration of subjective well-being and psychopathology. Social Indicators Research, 54, 81–108.
Haynes, N. M., Emmons, C., & Ben-Avie, M. (2001). The school development program: Student, staff, and parent school climate surveys. New Haven, CT: Yale Child Study Center.
Hox, J. J. (2010). Multilevel analysis: Techniques and applications (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
Huebner, E. S. (1991). Initial development of the students’ life satisfaction scale. School Psychology International, 12, 231–240.
Jahoda, M. (1958). Current concepts of positive mental health. New York: Basic Books.
Kasen, S., Cohen, P., Chen, H., Johnson, J. G., & Crawford, T. N. (2009). School climate and continuity of adolescent personality disorder symptoms. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50, 1504–1512.
Kasen, S., Johnson, J., & Cohen, P. (1990). The impact of school emotional climate on student psychopathology. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 18, 165–177.
Keyes, C. (2006). Mental health in adolescence: Is America’s youth flourishing? American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76, 395–402.
Kuperminc, G., Leadbeater, B., & Blatt, S. (2001). School social climate and individual differences in vulnerability to psychopathology among middle school students. Journal of School Psychology, 39, 141–159.
Kuperminc, G., Leadbeater, B., Emmons, C., & Blatt, S. (1997). Perceived school climate and difficulties in the social adjustment of middle school students. Applied Developmental Science, 1, 76–88.
Laguardia, A., & Pearl, A. (2009). Necessary educational reform for the 21st century: The future of public schools in our democracy. Urban Review, 41, 352–368.
LaRusso, M. D., Romer, D., & Selman, R. (2008). Teachers as builders of respectful school climates: Implications for adolescent drug use norms and depressive symptoms in high school. Journal of Youth Adolescence, 37, 386–398.
Lehr, C. A., & Christenson, S. L. (2002). Best practices in prompting school climate, In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology IV (pp. 929–947). Washington, DC: National Association of School Psychologists.
Lerner, R., Brentano, C., Dowling, E., & Anderson, P. (2002). Positive youth development: Thriving as the basis of personhood and civil society. New Directions for Youth Development, 95, 11–33.
Loukas, A., & Murphy, J. (2007). Middle school student perceptions of school climate: Examining protective functions on subsequent adjustment problems. Journal of School Psychology, 45, 293–309.
Loukas, A., & Robinson, S. (2004). Examining the moderating role of perceived school climate in early adolescent adjustment. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 14, 209–233.
Loukas, A., Suzuki, R., & Horton, K. (2006). Examining school connectedness and as a mediator of school climate effects. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 16, 491–502.
Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9, 111–131.
National School Climate Council. (2007). The school climate challenge: Narrowing the gap between school climate research and school climate policy, practice guidelines and teacher education policy. Retrieved from http://www.schoolclimate.org/climate/documents/policy/school-climate-challenge-web.pdf.
Resnick, M. D., Bearman, P., Blum, R., Bauman, K., Harris, K., Jones, J., et al. (1997). Protecting adolescents from harm: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health. Journal of the American Medical Association, 278, 823–832.
Reynolds, C. R., & Kamphaus, R. (1992). Behavior assessment system for children. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Services.
Seligman, M., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5–14.
Suldo, S. M., Friedrich, A. A., White, T., Farmer, J., Minch, D., & Michalowski, J. (2009). Teacher support and adolescents’ subjective well-being: A mixed-methods investigation. School Psychology Review, 38(1), 67–85.
Suldo, S. M., & Huebner, E. S. (2004). Does life satisfaction moderate the effects of stressful life events on psychopathological behavior during adolescence? School Psychology Quarterly, 19, 93–105.
Suldo, S., & Shaffer, E. (2008). Looking beyond psychopathology: The dual-factor model of mental health in youth. School Psychology Review, 37, 52–68.
Suldo, S. M., Shaffer, E. J., & Riley, K. N. (2008). A social-cognitive-behavioral model of academic predictors of adolescents’ life satisfaction. School Psychology Quarterly, 23, 56–69.
White, R., & Warfa, N. (2011). Building schools of character: A case-study investigation of character education’s impact on school climate, pupil behavior, and curriculum delivery. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41, 45–60.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Suldo, S.M., McMahan, M.M., Chappel, A.M. et al. Relationships Between Perceived School Climate and Adolescent Mental Health Across Genders. School Mental Health 4, 69–80 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-012-9073-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-012-9073-1