Temporal Directional Relationship Between Psychological Flexibility and School Climate Among Adolescents: A Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model.

Background: School climate plays a vital role in adolescent development. However, most prior studies have relied on cross-sectional designs and have overlooked the relationship between psychological flexibility and the disciplinary structure of school climate. Guided by authoritative school climate theory, this study explores the longitudinal associations between psychological flexibility and school climate.

Methods: A four-wave longitudinal study was conducted with 1119 adolescents (M = 13.15 years, SD = 1.26; 50.2% female), assessed every 6 months over 1.5 years. Data were analyzed using Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Modeling (RI-CLPM).

Results: The findings show that at the within-person level, psychological flexibility and school climate influence each other and have reciprocal relationship. Specifically, there is a bidirectional and reciprocal relationship between psychological flexibility and the disciplinary structure of school climate (school engagement, rule fairness, and school safety). In contrast, psychological flexibility exerts a unidirectional influence on social support (teacher-student relationships, student-student relationships) and clarity of expectations.

Conclusions: These results provide novel insights into the interplay between psychological flexibility and school climate, with implications for educational and psychological interventions aimed at improving adolescent mental health and perceived school climate.