Individual and Systemic Factors Related to Safety and Relationships in Schools as Moderators of Adolescents’ Subjective Well-Being During Unsettling Times Chryse Hatzichristou 1 & Panayiotis Lianos 1 & Aikaterini Lampropoulou 1 & Vasiliki Stasinou 1 # California Association of School Psychologists 2020 Abstract During the last decades, a significant increase in empirical studies concerning school violence is observed. Evidence-based interventions that promote positive school climate have been found to improve social competence, resilience, and students’ well- being in schools, resulting in team bonding, feelings of acceptance, respect, and a sense of belonging. The present study explores junior high school students’ perceptions regarding school climate dimensions referring to safety and relationships (i.e., discipline/ order, positive peer relations, bullying prevention, respect of diversity). The sample consisted of 726 students from junior high schools in the broader area of Athens (mean age 14.4 years). Questionnaires regarding school climate dimensions focusing on safety and relationships, subjective well-being, economic crisis difficulties, and demographic data including gender, school grade, and academic performance were completed. Using conditional process analyses, the effect of a three-way interaction between school climate, academic performance, and economic difficulties on junior high school students’ subjective well-being is examined. Gender and school grade are also studied. Results suggest that positive peer relations, bullying prevention, and respect for diversity associated with academic performance (but not with gender and school grade) moderate the relationship between economic difficulties and subjective well-being. The development and implementation of several intervention programs in diverse school settings in the Greek educational system are briefly discussed focusing on their effectiveness and usefulness regarding the promotion of school well-being and prevention of bullying and school violence. Keywords Subjective well-being . School climate . Safety . Bullying prevention . Peer relations . Academic performance . Economic recession During the last decades, a significant increase of empirical studies concerning school violence is observed. School vio- lence is not easily defined, since there are various terms used—usually interchangeably—to describe disruptive be- haviors in school (e.g., violence, aggression, bullying, antiso- cial behavior, peer victimization), and they are relevant to the cultural and educational context in which they occur (Hatzichristou et al. 2012; Kodelja 2019). Many studies on school climate include aggression, vio- lence, and bullying in their methodology as part of the safety and relationship dimensions (Thapa et al. 2013). School climate is directly linked to the absence of these behaviors; hence, it constitutes a critical concept in studies concerning aggression/violence in schools. In addition, it has been found that negative perceptions of positive school climate (in terms of relationships, discipline, order, and clarity of school rules) are linked with more behavioral problems in the school com- munity (Aldridge et al. 2016). Significant dimensions of positive school climate include (a) a sense of safety in school that promotes academic perfor- mance and students’ resilience; (b) mutual understanding and positive peer and student-teacher relationships; (c) students’ perceptions of the learning process related to students’ en- gagement and satisfaction from the school context; (d) school engagement; and (e) school’s physical environment related to better academic performance, sense of belonging, and school connectedness (Gietz and McIntosh 2014; Hatzichristou et al. (2010). School climate acts also as a protective factor that alleviates the negative impact of the socio-economic context and promotes learning and positive psychosocial development * Chryse Hatzichristou hatzichr@psych.uoa.gr 1 Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, 15784, Ilissia, Athens, Greece Contemporary School Psychology https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-020-00298-6