The Protective Role of School Climate Factors In Adolescent Dating Violence Victimization and Suicidal Ideation

Background and Purpose: Adolescent dating violence (ADV) is a significant public health crisis. Approximately 13.5% of youth report experiencing ADV victimization in the past year in the United States. Exposure to ADV is associated with adverse behavioral, relational, and mental health outcomes. Although most ADV prevention programs are school-based, existing research continues to call for studies that capture the multidimensional aspects of school climate. Furthermore, while school climate has been identified as a consistent protective factor across various forms of youth violence, relatively few studies have examined specific school climate factors as moderators of the relationship between ADV and mental health outcomes. Building on prior research, this study examines multiple school climate protective factors and their distinct roles in mitigating the association between ADV victimization and mental health outcomes (i.e., suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms).

Methods: This study utilized cross-sectional secondary data from the 2024 Illinois Youth Survey, collected from high school students attending public, private, and charter schools. A total of 68,069 students who reported being in a dating relationship at the time of the survey were included in the analysis. Measures included ADV victimization, mental health outcomes (i.e., suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms), and school protective factors examined (i.e., caring adult relationships at school, participation in extracurricular activities, school connectedness, and meaningful participation). Demographic characteristics were included as covariates. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between ADV victimization and mental health outcomes, with school protective factors as moderators.

Results: Overall, 12.7% of participants reported experiencing ADV, 30% reported depressive symptoms, and 11.2% reported suicidal ideation in the past year. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that the interactions between ADV and meaningful participation, as well as school connectedness were significantly associated with lower odds of suicidal ideation (MP: aOR = 1.150, 95% CI [1.055, 1.253]; SC: aOR = 1.176, 95% CI [1.093, 1.265]) ) and depressive symptoms (MP: aOR = 1.124, 95% CI [1.043, 1.211]; SC: aOR = 1.118, 95% CI [1.046, 1.196]). Additionally, caring adult relationships and participation in extracurricular activities were associated with lower odds of both mental health outcomes, regardless of ADV.

Conclusion and Implications: Findings indicate high rates of ADV victimization and significant mental health concerns among adolescents. Results further suggest the protective roles of meaningful participation and school connectedness in mitigating the association between ADV victimization and adverse mental health outcomes. There is a critical need to integrate school climate factors into existing mental health and youth violence prevention programs and continue building out school-based supports for youth experiencing ADV and mental health concerns. Schools should prioritize strengthening a positive school climate, particularly by promoting meaningful participation and enhancing students’ sense of connectedness. School professionals and administrators should continue strategizing ways to foster student engagement and a sense of community within school systems (e.g., through youth programming, curriculum development, or policies and procedures in response to ADV and mental health concerns).