1824 - THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH CLIMATE SCALE AMONG HONG KONG ADOLESCENTS

Session: D05S018 - School climate
AUTHORS:
Mo Phoenix (The Chinese University of Hong Kong ~ Shatin ~ Hong Kong) , Mak Winnie Wing Sze (The Chinese University of Hong Kong ~ Shatin ~ Hong Kong) , Xie Luyao (The Chinese University of Hong Kong ~ Shatin ~ Hong Kong) , Lau Christine Yin Kei (The Chinese University of Hong Kong ~ Shatin ~ Hong Kong) , Tsang Sarah (University of Bath ~ Bath ~ United Kingdom) , Ng Michelle (University of Edinburgh ~ Edinburgh ~ United Kingdom) , Tin Rex (The Chinese University of Hong Kong ~ Shatin ~ Hong Kong)
Abstract text:
Introduction:
Adolescence is an important period for psychological development. Most studies on adolescent mental health focused on individual risk factors, overlooking the influence of the broader social environment. School is a central arena not only for academic, but also for social and emotional learning for adolescents. Understanding school mental health climate is fundamental to cultivating mental health of adolescents. However, no specific scale on school mental health climate is available in the literature.


Purpose:
To develop and validate a school mental health climate scale among adolescents in Hong Kong.


Method:
A total of 16 items were developed, tapping into dimensions of school, teachers and peers. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,512 secondary school students in Hong Kong. Data was randomly split into two halves: exploratory factor analysis using parallel analysis (EFA, N = 756) in the first half and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, N = 756) in another half. Internal consistency, convergent validity and concurrent validity were also tested among the overall sample.


Results:
EFA supported a three-factor structure corresponding to school, teachers, and peers, explaining 35.5%, 26.6%, and 20.7% of variance. After removal of items with cross-loadings, a 13-item scale was obtained. Standardized factor loadings ranged from 0.786 to 1.007. A bi-factor CFA, including a general factor and three specific factors (school, teachers, peers), demonstrated a satisfactory fit: χ² (52) = 209.138, p<.001, RMSEA=0.063, CFI=0.999, TLI=0.999. Standardized factor loadings ranged from 0.712 to 0.887. The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (ω = 0.96), significant positive correlation with sense of community (r = 0.68), mental well-being (r = 0.48), and significant negative correlation with depression (r = -0.25) and anxiety (r = -0.22).


Conclusions:
The 13-item school mental health climate scale demonstrates satisfactory reliability and validity. It can be used to predict and promote mental health of adolescents.