Social Connection and Self-perceived Depression Among Adolescents: A Path Analytic Model for Abu Dhabi

Abstract

We examined how family and friendship connections of adolescents (15–19 years old) interrelate and how these interactions affect their self-perceived depression and stress. The data were collected through the Abu Dhabi Quality of Life Survey in 2018, which was completed by more than 51,000 respondents. Nine hundred and fifty-eight out of 3356 adolescents in the survey self-identified themselves as depressed. We developed a structural equation path model to explicate the relationships among the variables hypothesized to affect adolescents’ self-reported depression. The results produced an excellent fit of statistics of the model to the data. In general, social connections and relationships with family and friends directly affected adolescents’ self-perceived depressive feelings. More specifically, variables such as “often feeling isolated from people,” “the amount of quality time spent with family,” “the frequency of meeting with friends, relatives or colleagues,” and “involvement in informal activities with friends” had the greatest total effects on adolescents’ self-perceived depression. “The amount of quality time spent with family” also exerted indirect influence on feelings of isolation. Involvement in sports groups, involvement in religious and spiritual groups, and generalized trust did not exhibit any direct influence but had an indirect impact on self-perceived depression. The findings could contribute to the current understanding of theories of depression and yield implications for social policy, social service, and social work interventions for school-aged adolescents in Abu Dhabi.

Exploring the Reciprocal Relationships between Happiness and Life Satisfaction of Working Adults—Evidence from Abu Dhabi

“…Many public agencies in Abu Dhabi have used the QoL survey outcomes to form well-being indicators, aiming to develop social capital and promote happiness and life satisfaction among members of the communities. In this regard, several studies have emerged focusing on various aspects of quality of life among different segments of the population in Abu Dhabi, including the happiness of the elderly [ 1 ], self-perceived depression among adolescents [ 2 ], as well as social trust [ 3 ]. Badri et al [ 4 ], in particular, addressed the effect of working time on workers’ quality of life.…”

The spiritual and mental health assessment of social workers working for Internally Displaced Persons during Covid-19 in Myanmar

“…Social workers believe that supports received from friends and families are valuable to deal with challenges. In addition, maintaining a good association with friends and families is instrumental to enhancing spiritual growth (Badri et al, 2021) However, regarding managing anger, females are better than males. Female social workers possess healthier minds than male social workers.…”

Examining the Structural Effect of Working Time on Well-Being: Evidence from Abu Dhabi

“…Those variables that influence happiness include difficulty in fulfilling family responsibilities, time spent with family, self-assessment of health, satisfaction with income, and frequency of meeting with friends. The social connection dimension is worth of particular attention as it affects the mental health of young people in Abu Dhabi (Badri et al, 2021).…”