School Social Climate and Its Impact on Self-Esteem and Resilience in Adolescents: A Mediation Model

Background: Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable stage that puts present and future well-being at risk. School social climate is an important contextual resource associated with adolescents’ resilience, while self-esteem may help explain this relationship. Understanding these associations may contribute to identifying school-based resources relevant to positive adaptation. This study aims to examine the direct association between school social climate and resilience and the potential mediating role of self-esteem. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 1251 secondary school students in Spain aged 13–17 from Spain who completed questionnaires assessing self-esteem, school social climate and resilience, including its specific dimensions. Descriptive and mediation analyses were conducted. Findings: Gender differences emerged in specific dimensions: girls presented higher means in the social resources factor of resilience and teacher climate, while boys showed higher self-esteem and resilience in personal competence. Furthermore, positive relationships were found between resilience, school social climate, and self-esteem for the overall sample. Regarding the model, a positive school social climate was associated with greater adolescent resilience, both directly and indirectly through self-esteem. Conclusions: The findings indicate that young people’s ability to cope is positively associated with self-esteem and positive school social climate, particularly for the personal competence and goal orientation dimensions. Furthermore, the results highlight the relevance of school environments as stable contexts associated with personal resources relevant to adolescent adaptation.