Positive mental health and supportive school environments: A population-level longitudinal study of dispositional optimism and school relationships in early adolescence

Eva Oberle; Martin Guhn; Anne M Gadermann; Kimberly Thomson; Kimberly A Schonert-Reichl

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.06.041

Positive mental health and supportive school environments: A population-level longitudinal study of dispositional optimism and school relationships in early adolescence

Soc Sci Med. 2018 Oct:214:154-161. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.06.041. Epub 2018 Jul 30.

Authors

Eva Oberle¹, Martin Guhn², Anne M Gadermann², Kimberly Thomson², Kimberly A Schonert-Reichl³

Affiliations

¹ The University of British Columbia, School of Population and Public Health, The Human Early Learning Partnership, Canada. Electronic address: eva.oberle@ubc.ca.
² The University of British Columbia, School of Population and Public Health, The Human Early Learning Partnership, Canada.
³ The University of British Columbia, School of Population and Public Health, The Human Early Learning Partnership, Canada; The University of British Columbia, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, Canada.

PMID: 30072159
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.06.041

Abstract

Objectives: The present study examined the degree to which early adolescents' relationship experiences in school (i.e., peer group belonging, peer victimization, and supportive relationships with adults)-at the individual level and at the school-level-were associated with their dispositional optimism, concurrently and over time.

Method: Self-report data from over 4000 4th and 7th graders were obtained via a population-level measure designed to assess students' supportive relationships, well-being, and resilience (i.e., the Middle Years Development Instrument). An indicator for family income (SES) was obtained through tax filer information.

Results: Multilevel modeling revealed that in Grade 4, greater peer belonging, fewer experiences of peer victimization, and higher levels of adult support in school were linked to higher optimism, above and beyond the effects of sex, age, English as a Second Language (ESL), and SES. Additionally, school-wide levels of peer belonging and adult support (i.e., indicators of a supportive social school climate) were significant positive school-level predictors of optimism. Longitudinally, school-wide peer belonging in Grade 4 was associated to increases in students' optimism from 4th to 7th grade.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that positive relationship experiences in school are key contributors to positive mental health, over and above the absence of negative relationship experiences (i.e., victimization). These findings also suggest that being embedded in a school with a positive social relational climate contributes to students' current and future positive mental health, over and above individual relationships with peers and adults. The present research extends previous research by identifying contextual assets that are linked to dispositional optimism and can be applied in the context of school-based intervention programs to promote positive mental health in schools.

Keywords: Adult and peer support in school; Early adolescence; Optimism; Population-level research; Positive mental health; Social school climate; Victimization.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations*
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mental Health / statistics & numerical data*
Optimism / psychology*
Peer Group*
Schools*
Social Environment*
Students / psychology*
Students / statistics & numerical data