Speakers
Description
Introduction. The objective of this presentation is to describe a longitudinal study of the associations among school climate, mental health, and peer victimization. A systematic review of studies between 2000-2017 found quantitative and qualitative support for the association between school climate and mental health, but noted a need for longitudinal and contextual factors that may impact the relation. A search of the literature revealed few longitudinal studies, especially since COVID-related school closures. Peer victimization is a common experience that may impact both perceptions of school climate and mental health. Two research questions are posed. RQ1: What is the longitudinal association between school climate and mental health problems? RQ2: Does peer victimization moderate the longitudinal relation among school climate and mental health problems?
Method. The study included 641 racially and ethnically diverse students (age 11-18) from the U.S. Data were collected using self-report surveys during the Fall 2022, Fall 2023, and Fall 2024 semesters.
Conclusion. Cross-lag panel models were used to analyze the three waves of data. Greater mental health problems predicted more negative school climate across all waves and negative school climate predicted greater mental health risk from Time2 to Time 3. Peer victimization did not moderate the association between mental health and school climate. Risk of mental health problems predicts how a student feels about their school, regardless of if they are bullied a lot or a little. Their individual experiences with bullying do not override how mental health impacts perceptions of school climate.
References presented at the conference.
Keywords
school climate; mental health; longitudinal; peer victimization
| Please also indicate what kind of contribution it is: | Scientific |
|---|---|
| Please indicate what type of scientific contribution it is | Quantitative method study |
