Psychological Science ›› 2015, Vol. ›› Issue (4): 896-910.

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School Climate and Adolescent Problem Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Peer Victimization

Dong-Ping LI1, 2,Wu CHEN1,Zhen-Zhou BAO3, 4,   

  • Received:2014-06-25 Revised:2015-04-12 Online:2015-07-20 Published:2015-07-20
  • Contact: Dong-Ping LI

校园氛围与青少年问题行为的关系:同伴侵害的中介作用

李董平1,何丹2,陈武1,鲍振宙3,王艳辉4,赵力燕5   

  1. 1. 华中师范大学
    2. 华中师范大学心理学院
    3. 华南师范大学
    4. 广东省嘉应学院
    5. 四川师范大学文理学院
  • 通讯作者: 李董平

Abstract: A large body of research has documented the positive association between school climate and adolescents’ problem behaviors. However, the measurement and analysis of school climate remains to be improved. Many studies have aggregated students’ personal experiences items (e.g., “our teachers care about me”) with items referring to school characteristics (e.g., “In this school, teachers help students solve problems”). This confusion makes it hard to disentangle the effects of students’ experiences from the effects of schools’ characteristics or climate. To solve this problem, we deleted the items which referring to the students’ personal experiences. Besides, some single-level analyses erroneously conflate individual- and school-level effects, this approach make it hard to disentangle the effects of students’ experiences from the effects of schools’ climate. In order to disentangle them, we used the method of group-mean-centered technology as suggested by Morin et al. (2013). In addition, little is known about the mediating mechanisms underlying this relation. The present study examined the mediating role of peer victimization between school climate and problem behaviors (i.e., depression, delinquency). A total of 2,758 junior high school students (mean age = 13.56 years) from 10 schools of Guangdong province were invited to take part in this study. Participants anonymously completed Socioeconomic Status Questionnaire, Family Assessment Device, Perception of School Climate Questionnaire, Adolescents’ Peer Victimization Questionnaire, Children’s Depression Inventory, and Adolescents’ Delinquency Index Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling showed that: (1) After controlling for gender, age, socioeconomic status and family functioning, school climate significantly predicted adolescents’ delinquency and depression; and (2) Peer victimization mediated the relationship between school climate and adolescents’ problem behaviors. In conclusion, this study has documented the importance of school climate in adolescent problem behaviors, as well as the mediating role of peer victimization between school climate and problem behaviors. The results suggest that the school administrators and educators should pay attention to the important role of school climate in adolescent problem behaviors, because positive school climate can reduce peer victimization experiences, which in turn reduce adolescent problem behaviors.

Key words: school climate, peer victimization, delinquency, depression, adolescents

摘要: 许多研究表明,青少年感知的校园氛围对其问题行为有重要影响。但是,校园氛围起作用的中介机制仍有待进一步探讨。本研究旨在考察青少年感知的校园氛围与其问题行为(行为不良、抑郁)的关系,以及同伴侵害在其中的中介作用。采用分层整群抽样的方法,选取广东省10所学校2758名初中生作为被试,匿名填写社会经济地位问卷、家庭功能问卷、校园氛围感知问卷、青少年同伴侵害问卷、儿童抑郁调查表、青少年行为不良指数问卷。结果表明:(1)在控制了性别、年龄、社会经济地位和家庭功能后,积极的校园氛围显著负向预测青少年的行为不良和抑郁。(2)同伴侵害在校园氛围与青少年行为不良和抑郁之间具有中介作用。

关键词: 校园氛围, 同伴侵害, 行为不良, 抑郁, 青少年