Mobilising social support to improve mental health for children and adolescents: A systematic review using principles of realist synthesis

Abstract

Social support is a well-recognised protective factor for children’s mental health. Whilst many interventions exist that seek to mobilise social support to improve children’s mental health, not much is known about how to best do this. We sought to generate knowledge about the ways in which social support can be mobilised to improve children’s mental health. We conducted a systematic review, which followed the principles of a realist synthesis. The following databases were searched: PubMed, CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE, Child and Adolescent Studies, EconLit and SocINDEX. Studies were included if the age of participants was between 0 and 18 years and they evaluated or described programme theories of interventions that sought to improve children’s mental health by mobilising social support. Relevance and quality of studies were assessed, and data were extracted and analysed narratively. Thirty-three articles were included. Studies varied substantially with regard to the detail in which they described the processes of mobilising social support and expected mechanisms to improve children’s mental health. Those that provided this detail showed the following: Intervention components included explaining the benefits of social support and relationships to families and modelling friendly relationships to improve social skills. Pathways to improved outcomes reflected bi-directional and dynamic relationships between social support and mental health, and complex and long-term processes of establishing relationship qualities such as trust and reciprocity. Parents’ ability to mobilise social support for themselves and on behalf of children was assumed to impact on their children’s mental health, and (future) ability to mobilise social support. Although interventions were considered affordable, some required substantial human and financial resources from existing systems. Mobilising social support for vulnerable children can be a complex process that requires careful planning, and theory-informed evaluations can have an important role in increasing knowledge about how to best address social support and loneliness in children.

Socioeconomic Position Mediates the Relationship between Family Social Benefits and Adolescent Life Satisfaction in 25 countries

“…The family stress model suggests that among families with higher SEP, the physical and mental health of the members of a family are better because there are more household resources (de Walque et al, 2017 ; Mistry et al, 2004 ). The family investment model builds upon the family stress model and suggests that families with higher SEP have more money to spend on inputs and more time to spend with adolescents which together will enhance their mental health by familial social support and the presence of material assets (Bauer et al, 2021 ; de Walque et al, 2017 ; Del Boca et al, 2014 ; Duleep, 2018 ). The findings are also consistent with Self-Determination Theory (Ryan, 1995 ; Vansteenkiste et al, 2020 ).…”

Exposure to violence, adverse life events and the mental health of adolescent girls in Nairobi slums

“…In situations of adversity and other risk factors of poor mental health, social support may play an important buffering role. Social support is a form of social capital that individuals can draw upon to help them cope with daily stressors [ 30 , 31 ]. Several studies have documented the inverse relationship between social support and depressive symptoms among adolescents suggesting that social support may help protect adolescents against the negative effects of stressors and promote more positive mental health outcome [ 30 – 32 ].…”

Perspective: Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Family-Focused Practice With Parents With Mental Illness and Their Families

“…mobilize previously untapped social support networks (e.g., community and neighborhood opportunities), particularly for children and adolescents ( 25 );…”