Peer integration, teacher-student relationships and the associations with depressive symptoms in secondary school students with and without special needs

Abstract

The present study focuses on the association between peer integration and the development of depressive symptoms in secondary school students. A sample of 393 7th grade students (194 boys, 199 girls, mean age = 13.38 years, sd = 0.85) was recruited from 25 secondary schools in Austria. Of these students, 34 were diagnosed as having special educational needs. The screening version of the depression questionnaire DTK-II and the subscales “social relationships” and “perceived appreciation by the teacher” from the FEESS 3–4 were used for assessment. Structural equation modeling shows that negative teacher-student relationships predict both poor peer integration and depressive symptoms. Teacher-student relationships in schools have an impact on the peer integration as well as on the mental health of students.