School Environment and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: A Multilevel Longitudinal Study

Abstract

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Research indicates that adolescents who perceive their school to have a positive socioeducational environment are at reduced risk of developing depressive symptoms. However, there is limited evidence that school environments can influence adolescent emotional health independently from individual perceptions. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:This multilevel longitudinal study shows that better school socioeducational environments, as assessed at the school level, reduce the prospective risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents. This association is shown to be independent from confounders and stronger in girls than boys. abstract OBJECTIVE: It remains unclear whether school environments can influence the emotional health of adolescents. In this large-scale prospective study, we use multilevel modeling to examine whether the school socioeducational environment contributes to the risk of developing depressive symptoms in secondary school students. METHODS:As part of a longitudinal study on school success in disadvantaged communities, 5262 adolescents from 71 secondary schools were followed annually. Socioeducational environment was assessed by a composite measure of social climate, learning opportunities, fairness and clarity of rules, and safety. Depressive symptoms were evaluated by using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Multilevel regressions tested the association between school socioeducational environment in grade 8 and depressive symptoms in grades 10 to 11, adjusting for previous depressive symptoms in grade 7 and potential confounders at the individual and school levels. RESULTS:Modest but significant variation in depressive symptoms was found between schools (intraclass correlation = 3.3%). School-level socioeducational environment in grade 8 was predictive of student depressive symptoms in grades 10 to 11, even after adjusting for potential school and individual confounders. This association was slightly stronger for girls. Student perceptions of school socioeducational environment were also predictive of depressive symptoms. Other schoollevel factors, including school size, were not predictive of depressive symptoms once socioeducational environment was taken into account. CONCLUSIONS:Adolescents who attend a secondary school with a better socioeducational environment are at reduced risk of developing depressive symptoms. School environments appear to have a greater influence on risk in adolescent girls than boys. Pediatrics 2013;131:e702-e708 AUTHORS:

The Relationship Among School Safety, School Liking, and Students' Self‐Esteem: Based on a Multilevel Mediation Model

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Antecedents of transition patterns of depressive symptom trajectories from adolescence to young adulthood

“…For example, low SES families are more likely to live in poor communities which are associated with negative school environments. This negative school environment can influence depressive symptoms in adolescence (Bri ere, Pascal, Dup er e, & Janosz, 2013).…”

Disentangling the Relative Influence of Schools and Neighborhoods on Adolescents’ Risk for Depressive Symptoms

“…Though schools are gaining more interest by public health researchers (15, 16), research on the role of schools in depression is lacking outside of a small number of studies. These studies have primarily focused on school connectedness and school socioeconomic status and found that higher levels of each are associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms in students (17–25). Additionally, most school-related studies have focused on individual-level, rather than multilevel associations (26–32).…”