The Relationship between Motor Skills, Perceived Social Support, and Internalizing Problems in a Community Adolescent...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Poor motor skills are associated with psychosocial issues like anxiety and depression.
• The Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis suggests motor skills influence internalizing problems via social support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if motor skills indirectly affect anxious and depressive symptoms through perceived family support.
• To test the Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis in an adolescent sample.

Main Methods:

• A community sample of 93 adolescents (aged 12-16) was assessed.
• Measures included motor skills, perceived social support (family, friend, significant other), depressive symptoms, and anxious symptoms.
• Control variables included age, gender, verbal IQ, and ADHD symptoms.

Main Results:

• Motor skills indirectly influenced depressive symptoms through perceived family support.
• No indirect effect was found via friend or significant other support.
• Motor skills did not indirectly affect anxious symptoms through any social support domain.

Conclusions:

• Family support acts as a mediator for the relationship between motor skills and depressive symptoms.
• Findings partially support the Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis, highlighting a specific pathway for depressive symptoms.
• The study underscores the protective role of family support against depressive symptoms in adolescents with motor skill deficits.