This longitudinal study was designed to investigate whether or not social connectedness predicts psychological wellbeing over time. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the temporal relations between these constructs assessed yearly for 3 years for a sample of 1,774 10-to 15-year-olds (at Time 1). Results indicated that global connectedness (i.e., connectedness combined across the domains of family, school, peers, and neighborhood) predicted wellbeing, but no reciprocal relation was found. However, reciprocal relations were revealed by analyses that examined connectedness at the domain level, that is, for family and school contexts. The results suggest that youth who reported higher levels of social connectedness at one point in time would subsequently report higher well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, confidence, positive affect, and aspirations).This longitudinal study was supported by a grant from The Foundation for Research in Science and Technology to the first and third authors. We thank Jo Kleeb for input in measure design and methodology; the school principals for allowing us to access students in their schools; and the adolescents for their continued willing participation.Requests for reprints should be sent to

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Risk factors associated with SGA births in other countries are also important in New Zealand. Smoking in pregnancy is an important and potentially modifiable behaviour, and efforts to decrease the number of women who smoke during pregnancy should be encouraged.

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