School climate and depressive symptoms of disciplinary alternative school students: Resilience as a mediator

Abstract

We examined the relationships among school climate, resilience, and depressive symptoms of 153 students at disciplinary alternative schools in China, focusing on the mediating effect of resilience and its two components of individual power and supportive power in the association between school climate and students' depressive symptoms. Participants completed the Perceived School Climate Inventory-Middle School, the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results indicated that the students' perception of school climate and their depressive symptoms were significantly and negatively correlated, and resilience and depressive symptoms were also significantly and negatively correlated. In addition, resilience significantly mediated the effect of school climate on the students' depressive symptoms. Finally, the effect of individual power in mediation of the relationship between school climate and depressive symptoms was greater than that of supportive power. The findings provide implications for school policy makers and mental health professionals by highlighting the need for promoting both a positive school climate and students' resilience and its component of individual power.