Does School Climate Contribute To Psychological Adjustment? The Role of Resilience during Childhood

Abstract A supportive school climate helps schoolchildren’s psychological adjustment, but it is relatively unknown about the processes that make these effects last over time. The present study aimed to examine the mediating role of resilience in the effects of school climate on psychological adjustment at the within-person level. The participants were a total of 1,052 primary school children ( M ChildrenAgeT1 = 8.19, SD = 1.76; 50% girls) from Spain, Poland, and Norway. Parents (87% mothers) reported on the study variables in four waves. School climate positively predicted prosociality and inversely internalizing and externalizing problems. Resilience was predicted by school climate and predicted psychological adjustment. Significant indirect effects were found on the mediating role of resilience. These results suggest that developing school climate helps children handle stressful situations and improve their adjustment.