The Moderating Role of Gender in Perceptions of School Climate, Anxiety and Depression

Abstract

Children’s mental health is a growing public health concern in the United States, with symptoms of anxiety and depression increasingly evident in school-aged populations. Guided by a bio-ecological framework, this study examined the relationship between elementary students’ perceptions of school climate and self-reported internalizing symptoms, and whether gender moderates these associations. Using baseline data from a large, federally funded study (Early Supports for Student Success), participants included 1,030 third- and fourth-grade students across 16 elementary schools in North Carolina and South Carolina. Students completed self-report measures of anxiety and depression using the PROMIS pediatric short forms, as well as the PBIS School Climate Survey. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to test (a) whether perceived school climate predicted symptoms of anxiety and depression and (b) whether gender moderated these relationships, controlling for school site. Results indicated that more positive perceptions of school climate significantly predicted lower levels of both anxiety and depression. Although girls reported higher mean levels of internalizing symptoms than boys, gender did not significantly moderate the relationship between school climate and either anxiety or depression. Findings suggest that positive school climate functions as a protective factor against internalizing symptoms for elementary-aged students regardless of gender. These results extend prior research by demonstrating the importance of school climate for mental health at the elementary level and underscore the potential value of school-wide climate-enhancement efforts to support student well-being broadly.