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Perceptions of School Climate and Depression among Black Youth: Do Sex and Income Matter?

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Title: Perceptions of School Climate and Depression among Black Youth: Do Sex and Income Matter?
Language: English
Authors: Adrian Gale (ORCID 0000-0002-3165-3034), Lenna Nepomnyaschy
Source: Developmental Psychology. 2026 62(6):1189-1201.
Availability: American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Educational Environment, Depression (Psychology), African American Students, Adolescents, Gender Differences, Socioeconomic Status, Student Attitudes
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study
DOI: 10.1037/dev0002054
ISSN: 0012-1649
1939-0599
Abstract: Schools play a crucial role in shaping adolescents' development as they navigate the social world beyond their families, with school climate--students' perceptions of the social environment--emerging as a key influence on their mental health outcomes. Previous studies with Black adolescent samples from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have found a link between school climate perceptions and psychological functioning. Black adolescents have been found to perceive a less positive school climate than their peers from other racial backgrounds, leading to increased vulnerability to adverse psychological outcomes. However, the link between school climate perceptions and psychological functioning for Black adolescents from different socioeconomic backgrounds and by child sex is less clear. Using data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we investigated whether (a) school climate perceptions were associated with depressive symptoms and (b) whether sex and socioeconomic status (at the household and neighborhood levels) moderated this link in a sample of approximately 1,700 Black adolescents. These results revealed that more positive school climate perceptions were associated with fewer depressive symptoms among Black youth, with stronger associations for girls and differential effects across neighborhood-level socioeconomic status among boys. Boys in the poorest neighborhoods, who are most vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes, gain the least from a positive school climate compared with girls and boys in wealthier areas.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1505674
Database: ERIC
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  Data: American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
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  Data: Schools play a crucial role in shaping adolescents' development as they navigate the social world beyond their families, with school climate--students' perceptions of the social environment--emerging as a key influence on their mental health outcomes. Previous studies with Black adolescent samples from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have found a link between school climate perceptions and psychological functioning. Black adolescents have been found to perceive a less positive school climate than their peers from other racial backgrounds, leading to increased vulnerability to adverse psychological outcomes. However, the link between school climate perceptions and psychological functioning for Black adolescents from different socioeconomic backgrounds and by child sex is less clear. Using data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we investigated whether (a) school climate perceptions were associated with depressive symptoms and (b) whether sex and socioeconomic status (at the household and neighborhood levels) moderated this link in a sample of approximately 1,700 Black adolescents. These results revealed that more positive school climate perceptions were associated with fewer depressive symptoms among Black youth, with stronger associations for girls and differential effects across neighborhood-level socioeconomic status among boys. Boys in the poorest neighborhoods, who are most vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes, gain the least from a positive school climate compared with girls and boys in wealthier areas.
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      – SubjectFull: Depression (Psychology)
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      – SubjectFull: African American Students
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