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The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
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Social support profiles associations with adolescents' psychological and academic functioning
Mei-Ki Chan1, Jill D Sharkey1, Karen Nylund-Gibson2
1Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States of America.
Journal of School Psychology
|February 22, 2022
Summary
Adolescent social support, from family and peers, significantly impacts psychological and academic success. High support benefits students, while low support, especially peer or family, hinders functioning, with gender playing a role.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Education
- Sociology
Background:
- Social support is crucial for adolescent well-being and academic achievement.
- Understanding the interplay of family, peer, and school support is vital for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore social support typologies in early and late adolescence.
- To examine the relationship between these support profiles and psychological/academic functioning.
- To investigate the moderating role of gender in these associations.
Main Methods:
- Latent profile analysis of family, peer, and school support data.
- Assessment of psychological and academic functioning across different support profiles.
- Examination of gender as a moderator in early (Grade 7) and late (Grade 11) adolescence.
Main Results:
- Identified five support profiles: High, Moderate, Low, Minimum Peer, and Minimum Family Support.
- The High Support profile correlated with the best psychological and academic outcomes.
- Minimum Peer and Minimum Family Support profiles showed the poorest functioning; gender moderated outcomes, especially in younger adolescents.
Conclusions:
- Social support's impact on adolescents is multifaceted, depending on the combination of support sources, age, and gender.
- Interventions should consider specific support deficits and demographic factors to aid vulnerable students.
- Findings can guide practitioners in developing effective support strategies for diverse adolescent populations.
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