Racial Discrimination, School Climate, and Black Adolescents' Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors: A Longitudinal Moderation

ABSTRACT Using data from Black adolescents in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study ( n = 1,316), we examined the moderating effect of school climate on the relationship between racial discrimination and later internalizing and externalizing behaviors during adolescence ( M age = 12.00; SD = 0.65). Longitudinal regression analyses showed that positive perceptions of school climate were linked to a weaker association between racial discrimination and subsequent internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Findings highlight the need to reduce discrimination that Black youth face while simultaneously building safe and equitable school climates.