The relative contribution of trait and social influences to the links among perceived social support, affect, and self-esteem

Although perceived support is influenced by both the personality traits of support recipients as well as various social factors, it is unknown to what extent these two types of influences account for perceived support's link to mental health. We investigated these relations using multivariate generalizability analyses. In three samples, both the trait and social influence components of perceived support were related to favorable affect and to self-esteem. The magnitude of the correlations between perceived support and mental health was similar for both the trait and social influence components. Similar findings were obtained for social conflict, although the links between conflict and mental health varied somewhat depending upon the level of analysis. These findings suggest that social support theories and interventions should include both trait and social mechanisms to explain and modify perceived support and mental health.     

Relation of depression to perceived social support: results from a randomized adolescent depression prevention trial

Theorists posit that certain behaviors exhibited by depressed individuals (e.g., negative self-statements, dependency, reassurance seeking, inappropriate or premature disclosures, passivity, social withdrawal) reduce social support, yet there have been few experimental tests of this hypothesis. Using data from a randomized depression prevention trial (N = 253) involving adolescents (M age = 15.5, SD = 1.2), we tested whether a cognitive behavioral group intervention that significantly reduced depressive symptoms relative to bibliotherapy and educational brochure control conditions through 2-year follow-up produced improvements in perceived parental and friend social support and whether change in depressive symptoms mediated the effect on change in social support. Cognitive behavioral group participants showed significantly greater increases in perceived friend social support through 1-year follow-up relative to bibliotherapy and brochure controls, but there were no significant effects for perceived parental support. Further, change in depressive symptoms appeared to mediate the effects of the intervention on change in perceived friend support. Results provide experimental support for the theory that depressive symptoms are inversely related to perceived social support, but imply that this effect may be specific to friend vs. parental support for adolescents.     

Sex-role development and parental expectations among disturbed adolescent males.

Seventeen pre-delinquent, 17 mixed psychiatric, and 17 normal adolescents and their parents were compared for the possession of certain personality traits traditionally classified as masculine or feminine. The parents were also compared in regard to the characteristics they expected their sons to possess. The main findings centered around three personality traits that differentiated the adolescents, and also between the expectations of both the mothers and fathers. In general, the parents of the normal adolescents expected their sons to be more achieving, dominating, and enduring than the parents of the other adolescents, which is consistent in regard to the personality traits that differentiated the adolescents from each other. The results suggest that the possession of certain traits, such as dominance and endurance, appear to be important for adequate functioning in adolescent males.     

The contribution of extracurricular activities to adolescent friendships: new insights through social network analysis

Extracurricular activities are settings that are theorized to help adolescents maintain existing friendships and develop new friendships. The overarching goal of the current investigation was to examine whether coparticipating in school-based extracurricular activities supported adolescents' school-based friendships. We used social network methods and data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine whether dyadic friendship ties were more likely to exist among activity coparticipants while controlling for alternative friendship processes, namely dyadic homophily (e.g., demographic and behavioral similarities) and network-level processes (e.g., triadic closure). Results provide strong evidence that activities were associated with current friendships and promoted the formation of new friendships. These associations varied based on school level (i.e., middle vs. high school) and activity type (i.e., sports, academic, arts). Results of this study provide new insight into the complex relations between activities and friendship that can inform theories of their developmental outcomes.     

Suicidal ideation among adolescent school children, involvement in bully-victim problems, and perceived social support.

Relationships among suicidal ideation, involvement in bully-victim problems at school, and perceived social support were investigated with samples of adolescent students (N = 1103 and N = 845) attending secondary school in South Australia. Results obtained from self-reports and peer nomination procedures to identify bullies and victims indicated that involvement in bully-victim problems at school, especially for students with relatively little social support, was significantly related to degree of suicidal ideation.     

The relationship of offending style to psychological and social risk factors in a sample of adolescent males

Research has indicated that life‐course persistent offenders typically vary their offending style, following a criminal career progression from co‐ to solo‐offending. Few studies have investigated the offenders who contemporaneously mix their style of offending. A sample of 1,047 male adolescent offenders from the Pathways to Desistance study was investigated over a 7‐year period. Participants were identified as solo, co or contemporaneous mixed style (CMS) offenders for each wave of data and one‐way between groups analysis of variance was conducted to examine variations between the different offending styles in terms of offending frequencies, exposure to violence, peer antisocial behaviour and influence, resistance to peer influence, impulse control and psychopathy. CMS offenders were found to consistently report significantly higher rates of offending and present significantly higher negative risk factors and lower protective risk factors than solo‐ and co‐offenders for the duration of the study. A multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate predictors of offending style with CMS as the reference category. Higher levels of exposure to violence and peer antisocial behaviour and lower levels of impulse control predicted membership of the CMS group for the first part of the study when compared with co‐offenders; and higher levels of exposure to violence and peer antisocial behaviour continued to predict CMS offending when compared to solo‐offenders until the end of the study.     

The contribution of personality characteristics to the relationship between social support and perceived physical health

Although a great deal of research has been conducted on the relationship between social support and physical health, the contribution of personality characteristics to this relationship has rarely been assessed. Structural equation modeling was employed to derive and test a model of the direct and indirect relationships between personality characteristics, social network size, the perceived availability of support, socially supportive behaviors, and perceived physical health with a sample of Pennsylvania adults. Significant paths indicate that individuals who perceive themselves as affiliative and as help seekers and help givers report larger social networks, receive more socially supportive behaviors, and perceive that more support is available to them. The perception that support is available shared a direct relationship with perceived physical health. The utility of including multiple measures of social support and personality characteristics related to receiving support in investigations of the relationship between social support and physical health is discussed.     

The association of physical maturation with family hassles among African American adolescent males

This research examined associations between physical maturation and adolescent-perceived family hassles within a sample of urban African American families who resided in high-risk communities. The purpose of the study was to examine the relations between physical maturation and youths' perceptions of their family context and the associated daily stresses experienced. The participants were 251 parent-son dyads who were interviewed separately. The combination of quantitative and qualitative results extends the literature on physical development and urban African American populations by indicating that parents are most aware of pubertal changes during early puberty. The findings suggested that adolescent-perceived hassles are indications of parental monitoring and more adaptive parenting strategies are needed for high-risk neighborhoods.     

The impact of parental attachment and supervision on fear of crime among adolescent males

This paper examines the effect of parental attachment and supervision on fear of crime among adolescent males. Earlier work has suggested that feelings of powerlessness and association with deviant peers have a significant impact on adolescent fear of crime. As the nature of the parent-adolescent relationship is also a key predictor of adolescent self-concept and quality of peer relationships, we felt that parental attachment and supervision should also impact fear of crime. Using self-report surveys from 318 incarcerated adolescent males, we examine the effect of parental attachment and supervision, along with other demographic and contextual variables, on fear of criminal victimization, perceived safety, and perceptions of risk. The results indicate that those boys who are most attached to their parents are less fearful of criminal victimization and feel safer in their environment than do their counterparts with weaker parental attachments. Additionally, those boys whose parents supervise them closely are more fearful of criminal victimization, but have lower levels of perceived risk of victimization. Implications and ramifications for social policies and future research are also discussed.     

The contribution of self-compassion in the relationship between social support and posttraumatic growth

IntroductionDespite well-established evidence on the relationship between social support and posttraumatic growth (PTG), there remains a paucity of evidence regarding the mechanism that underlie this relationship.ObjectiveThis study examined the relationship between social support and PTG, while exploring self-compassion as an intermediatory factor in this association.MethodA cross-sectional study with 447 college students was conducted in Trabzon, Turkey. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM).ResultsResults indicated that perceived social support and self-compassion were associated with PTG. Furthermore, a significant indirect effect between social support and PTG via self-compassion emerged.ConclusionBased on the study findings, tailored intervention programs targeting self-compassion and perceived social support in trauma-exposed young adults may be useful for promoting posttraumatic growth.     

The influence of social environment and social image on adolescent smoking.

This purpose of this article is to explore differences by gender and school grade in patterns of association among social influences and tobacco use. Data from the 1999 (N = 15,038) and 2000 (N = 35,828) National Youth Tobacco Survey (American Legacy Foundation, 1999, 2000), a nationally representative, repeated cross-sectional survey, were used in the analysis. The authors compared effects on adolescent smoking. Direct paths from social environment to current smoking increased from middle school to high school. Indirect paths with social image mediating this relationship revealed a smaller increase. The pattern was constant across subsamples. Social image of smokers mediated the influence of social environment on adolescent smoking. Social image had a greater effect on smoking among middle school boys and high school girls.     

The role of social support in burnout among Dutch medical residents

Burnout levels among medical residents are considered high. A lack of social support has shown to have a direct effect on emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization, two of the three burnout indicators. In this study, we examined the satisfaction of medical residents with social support (emotional, appreciative and informative) received from supervisors, fellow medical residents, nurses and patients. In addition, the correlation between social support and burnout was studied. Medical residents were significantly more dissatisfied with the emotional, appreciative and informative support received from their supervisors compared with fellow residents and nurses (respectively, 13.4+/-4.0 vs. 9.9+/-2.8 and 10.0+/-2.4; 10.0+/-2.9 vs. 7.4+/-2.0 and 7.3+/-1.8; and 7.2+/-2.3 vs. 5.4+/-1.6 and 5.3+/-1.5; p<.001). Significant independent effects were found on emotional exhaustion: from dissatisfaction with emotional support [Beta=.44, p<.001, total R2=.25] and dissatisfaction with appreciative support from supervisors [Beta=.30, p<.01, total R2=.11]. Moreover, dissatisfaction with emotional support from supervisors had an independent significant effect on depersonalization [Beta=.33, p=.001, total R2=.14]. The best predictor of burnout appeared to be dissatisfaction with emotional support received from supervisors. Our results suggest that intervention programs should not only focus on the medical residents, but also on the supervisors to improve their supportive skills.     

Companion cats and the social support systems of men with AIDS.

60 male pet owners with AIDS were given a formal questionnaire including items related to demographic, lifestyle, and pet ownership, as well as the Comfort from Companion Animals Scale, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The men lived in the San Francisco area and received assistance from Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS), a community organization, in caring for their companion dogs or cats. Participants were a convenience sample of pet owners who volunteered from among 500 PAWS clients and who do not necessarily represent a random sample of men with AIDS who keep companion animals. For these men, their comfort from companion animals was significantly associated with having cats but not dogs, closeness with friends, dissatisfaction with their practical support system, and listing pets as a source of support. Loneliness was negatively associated with having a large practical support network, scoring as healthy on the General Health Questionnaire, and living alone. For these male pet owners with AIDS, pet cats appeared to complement their supportive relationships with friends and family that were protective against loneliness.     

Depression, self-esteem, loneliness, and social support among adolescent mothers participating in the new parents project

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine levels of depression, self-esteem, loneliness, and social support, and the relationships between these variables, among adolescent mothers participating in the New Parents Project (formerly called the Young Parents Project). The sample consisted of 21 adolescent mothers recruited from three primary health care practices in different Midwestern cities. It was found that depression scores were in the high range (CES-DC > 15) for 53% of the participants. Strong, significant relationships were found, except between depression and self-esteem. The implications for enhancement of the New Parents Project, so as to better meet the psychological needs of adolescent mothers, are discussed.     

Tailoring sex-education programs to adolescents--a strategy for the primary prevention of unwanted adolescent pregnancies

The data for this paper were derived from 88 unstructured interviews conducted with a purposive sample of adolescents from September 1978 through July 1979. We content analyzed all interview abstracts with particular emphasis on the comments and suggestions made by adolescents in regard to sex education in order to ascertain their needs. Three areas in need of immediate revision were identified--curriculum, format, and lecturer. Respondents also provided a variety of suggestions which can be used by educators and planners in developing and implementing sex-education programs; thereby making programs sensitive to the expressed needs and wants of adolescents. This qualitative study supports the findings of many quantitative studies which found that many adolescents do not have, yet want, sensitive sex-education programs.     

The role of stress,social support,and family environment in adolescent mothers' parenting

Adolescent childbearing is a major social and economic problem in the US. The authors assessed the role of stress, social support, and family environment upon adolescent mothers' parenting behaviors. 75 African-American, mother-infant pairs participated in the study. Each mother was administered a questionnaire and observed in a ten-minute teaching task with her baby. The study found that the adolescent mother's mother was the most frequent provider of support and the baby's father was the most frequent source of conflict. Mothers who identified more individuals as a source of conflict tended to have less positive parenting behaviors. Child age and interpersonal conflict were found through analysis to be significant predictors of maternal behavior. Furthermore, social support moderated the effects of interpersonal conflict when conflicted networks were large. Parenting stress was not a significant predictor of maternal behavior.     

Family and peer social support as specific correlates of adolescent depressive symptoms

Depression models that emphasize the social environment have not been tested with adolescents and their specificity to depressive symptoms has not been demonstrated In a study of 94 adolescent inpatients, distinctions were drawn between family and peer support to determine if these sources of support were differentially related to depression symptoms. Step-down multivariate multipleregression analyses showed that depression symptoms were uniquely predicted by social relationship variables after accounting for the effects of anxiety and conduct disorder symptoms. Depression was negatively related to family and paternal support, but it was positively related to peer support. Furthermore, family and paternal support interacted with peer support in the prediction of depression. The results are consistent with the assertion that disturbances in important supportive attachments have special significance for the experience of depressive symptoms by adolescents.This research was supported by postdoctoral research fellowship funds provided to the first author by the National Research Council and a grant to the second author by the Graduate Student Association of Arizona State University. The authors express appreciation to Dr. Ruedi Hahnloser, Senior Psychologist, and the patients and staff of Camelback Hospitals for their cooperation in conducting this research.     

Influence of social support on adaptation to surgery.

The authors investigated the influence of patients' social support on subjective and objective stress indicators before, during, and after surgery. The sample consisted of 42 male and 42 female patients. Social support as perceived by the patients was measured by a surgery-specific inventory with the Emotional Support and Informational Support subscales. Perioperative adaptation was assessed by self-reported anxiety, the amount of narcotics needed for anesthesia induction, and the length of the postoperative stay. Results demonstrated that patients who scored high on social support showed less anxiety, received lower doses of narcotics, and had a shorter hospital stay than did patients with low support. However, gender was a moderator of some of these associations. Compared with men, women exhibited more relationships that were in accordance with the hypotheses.