Social support in high‐risk adolescents: Structural components and adaptive impact

Abstract

This study examines the structure of social support and its relationship to adjustment for adolescents from high-stress lower socioeconomic class inner-city backgrounds. An attempt is made to (a) identify meaningful dimensions of perceived social support for this population; (b) examine the degree to which the perceived helpfulness of each source of support varied as a function of age, sex, and ethnic background; and (c) determine the relationship between the dimensions of social support, personal characteristics of the adolescent, and indices of personal and academic adjustment. Factor analyses reveal three distinct support dimensions: Family, Formal, and Informal Support. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance show differences in the perceived helpfulness of the support dimensions as a function of the adolescent's age, sex, and ethnic background as well as in the relationship of each source of support to the adjustment indices. Implications of the findings for elaborating the impact of social support on coping efforts are discussed.

Role of Ethnic Identity in Participatory Processes That Facilitate Psychological Empowerment Among Urban Youth

“…Minority youth and those from more impoverished backgrounds are more likely to be at risk for lower levels of social support; the consequences of this could include heightened levels of stress with lower coping mechanisms (Cauce et al, 1982).…”

“…Broadly defined as "the range of interpersonal relationships that have an impact on an individual's functioning" (Caplan, 1974in Cauce, Felner, & Primavera, 1982, social support for youth can include peers, friends, family, teachers, and any other adults in one's life.…”

“…A self-report measure of twenty-four items was administered to measure respondents' sense of social support (see Appendix D). The scale utilized was the Social Support for Adolescents Scale (SSAS) (Cauce et al, 1982) …”

Influencing factors of Mental Health of Adolescents at School Level

“…Available research suggests that peer group acceptance may be associated with poorer academic performance among adolescents from lower socio-economic homes (Cauce, Felner, & Primavera, 1982; Luther, 1995) 4 . The level of social toxicity (Garbarino, 1995) 13 in many lower socio-economic neighborhoods creates a poor environment for individual development and the formation of peer relations that encourage academic success (DuRent, Getts, Cadenhead, Emans, & Woods, 1995) 11 .…”

Predictors of social network composition among homeless and runaway adolescents

“…Although the normative development of a system of social support is apt to occur in a variable though predictive manner, healthy adolescent development requires a balance of support from family, formal associations (teachers, counselors, etc. ) and informal support systems such as friends and same-age peers (Cauce, Felner, & Primavera, 1982).…”