Protective Factors for Mental Health Concerns in Urban Middle School Students

Abstract

Addressing mental health in urban schools with youth who are often disadvantaged requires an understanding of protective individual and school contextual influences. Using hierarchical multiple regression analyses, we investigated school connectedness (SC) as a moderator between social skills (SS) and emotional/behavioral difficulties (ED/BD) among 319 urban middle school students (Grades 6–8; 65% self-identified as Black). SS levels predicted ED/BD. SC moderated the association between SS and mental health concerns. We address implications for school counseling practice.