Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T11:38:10.940Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Getting By With a Little Help From My Friends: A Pilot Study of the Measurement and Stability of Positive Social Support From Significant Others for Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 January 2015

Terry V. Bowles  and
John A. Hattie
Terry V. Bowles*
Affiliation:
Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
John A. Hattie
Affiliation:
Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Terry Bowles, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, 100 Leicester St, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Based on research into adult social support and the ecological model of development, we sought to redefine and establish the levels and nature of support provided to Year 7 (n = 52), 9 (n = 52) and Year 11 (n = 33) adolescents over a period of 3 months. A questionnaire to identify who provided support to adolescents was developed to measure instrumental, informational and emotional support, and add siblings to the primary support network. Factor analysis confirmed the expected four-factor model of support, with parents, teachers, siblings and friends providing different levels and priorities of support. Results indicated high levels of internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Trends in the amount of social support generally showed a decrease from Time 1 to Time 2, significantly so from parents and teachers. Females indicated they received significantly more support from friends in comparison with males, regardless of year level. Year 7 students indicated significantly higher support from parents and teachers. Importantly, this study showed the general decline of social support from early to late adolescence, and the relative consistency of social support for male and female adolescents. The different types of supports provided to the individuals in the adolescents’ social network are discussed.

Keywords

social supportparent relationsfriend supportsibling supportteacher support
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Relationships Research , Volume 6 , 2015 , e4
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Auerbach, R.P., Bigda–Peyton, J.S., Eberhart, N.K., Webb, C.A., & Ho, M.H. (2011). Conceptualizing the prospective relationship between social support, stress, and depressive symptoms among adolescents. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 39, 475–487.Google Scholar
Bokhorst, C.L., Sumter, S.R., & Westenberg, P.M. (2010). Social support from parents, friends, classmates, and teachers in children and adolescents aged 9 to 18 years: Who is perceived as most supportive? Social Development, 19, 418–426. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9507.2009.00540.x Google Scholar
Bowles, T. (2005). The pattern of dialogue in compliance seeking situations when conflict is possible: A preliminary study involving adolescents and adults. Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 22, 5–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowles, T. (2006). The adaptive change model: An advance on the transtheoretical model of change. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 140, 439–457.Google Scholar
Bowles, T. (2008). The relationship of time orientation with perceived academic performance and preparation for assessment in adolescents. Educational Psychology, 28, 551–565.Google Scholar
Bowles, T., & Hattie, J. (2013). Towards positive adaptive change: The association of three typologies of agency with motivational factors. Australian Psychologist, 48, 437–444.Google Scholar
Boyle, G. J. (1991). Does item homogeneity indicate internal consistency or item redundancy in psychometric scales? Personality and Individual Differences, 12, 291–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Buhrmester, D. (1992). The developmental courses of sibling and peer relationships. In Boer, F. & Dunn, J. (Eds.), Children's sibling relationships: Developmental and clinical issues (pp. 19–40). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Caplan, R.D., Cobb, S., French, J.R.D., Harrison, R., & Pinneau, S.R.J. (1975). Job demands and worker health. Ann Arbor, MI: The Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.Google Scholar
Chronister, J.A., Johnson, E.K., & Bervan, N.L. (2006). Measuring SS in rehabilitation. Disability and Rehabilitation, 28, 75–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chu, P.S., Saucier, D.A., & Hafner, E. (2010). Meta-analysis of the relationships between social support and well-being in children and adolescents. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 29, 624–645.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, S., & Wills, T.A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310–357. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.98.2.310 Google Scholar
Conger, J.K., & Little, W.M. (2010). Sibling relationships during the transition to adulthood. Child Development Perspectives, 4, 87–94.Google Scholar
Conger, K.J., Bryant, C.M., & Brennom, J.M. (2004). The changing nature of adolescent sibling relationships. In Conger, R.D., Lorenz, F.O., & Wickrama, K.A.S. (Eds.), Continuity and change in family relations: Theory, methods, and empirical findings (pp. 319–344). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Connidis, I.A. (2001). Family ties and aging. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Davis, T. S., Gavazzi, S. M., Scheer, S. D. & Uppal, R. (2011). Measuring Individualized Parent Advocate Services in Children's Mental Health: A Contextualized Theoretical Application. Journal of Child Family Studies, 20, 669–684. DOI: 10.1007/s10826-010-9443-y Google Scholar
Fallon, B., & Bowles, T. (2001). Family functioning and adolescent help seeking behaviour. Family Relations, 50, 239–245.Google Scholar
Fleuriet, K.J. (2009). Problems in the Latina paradox: Measuring SS for pregnant immigrant women from Mexico. Anthropology & Medicine, 16, 49–59.Google Scholar
Froland, C., Brodsky, G., Olson, M., & Stewart, L. (1979). Social support and social adjustment: Implications for mental health professionals. Journal of Community Mental Health Journal Volume, 15, 82–93.Google Scholar
Furman, W., & Buhrmester, D. (1985). Children's perceptions of the personal relationships in their social networks. Developmental Psychology, 21, 1016–1024.Google Scholar
Hair, J. F., Black, W., Babin, B. Y. A., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. R. (2010). Multivariate Data Analysis. A Global Perspective. New York: Pearson.Google Scholar
Harley, K., & Eskenazi, B. (2006). Time in the United States, social support and health behaviors during pregnancy among women of Mexican descent. Social Science & Medicine, 62, 3048–3061.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Helsen, M., Vollebergh, W., & Meeus, W. (2000). Social support from parents and friends and emotional problems in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 29, 319–335.Google Scholar
Hattie, J. (2013). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Hohepa, M., Scragg, R., Schofield, G., Kolt, G.S., & Schaaf, D. (2007). Social support for youth physical activity: Importance of siblings, parents, friends and school support across a segmented school day. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 4, 54.Google Scholar
House, J.S. (1981). Work stress and social support. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar
House, J.S. & Kahn, R.L. (1985). Measures and concepts of social support. In Cohen, S. & Syme, L. (Eds.), Social support and health (pp. 83–108). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Lakey, B. (2010). Social support: Basic research and new strategies for intervention. In Maddux, J.E. & Tangney, J.P. (Eds.), Social psychological foundations of clinical psychology (pp. 177–194). New York: Guildford.Google Scholar
Laursen, B., Furman, W., & Mooney, K.S. (2006). Predicting interpersonal competence and self-worth from adolescent relationships and relationship networks: Variable-centered and pattern-centered perspectives. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 52, 572–600.Google Scholar
Le Fevre, M., Kolt, G.S., & Matheny, J. (2006). Eustress, distress and their interpretation in primary and secondary occupational stress management interventions: Which way first? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21, 547–565. doi:10.1108/02683940610684391 Google Scholar
Li, K., Iannotti, R.J., Haynie, D.L., Perlus, J.G., & Simons-Morton, B.G. (2014). Motivation and planning as mediators of the relation between social support and physical activity among US adolescents: A nationally representative study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 11, 42.Google Scholar
Malecki, C.K., & Demaray, M.K. (2002). Measuring perceived social support: Development of the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale. Psychology in the Schools, 39, 1–18.Google Scholar
Milevsky, A. (2005). Compensatory patterns of sibling support in emerging adulthood: Variations in loneliness, self-esteem, depression and life satisfaction. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 22, 743–755.Google Scholar
Nelson, D., & Cooper, C. (2005). Stress and health: A positive direction. Stress and Health, 21, 73–75. doi:10.1002/smi.1053 Google Scholar
Rueger, S.Y., Malecki, C.K., & Demaray, M.K. (2008). Relationship between multiple sources of perceived social support and psychological and academic adjustment in early adolescence: comparisons across gender. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 47–61. doi:10.1007/s10964-008-9368-6 Google Scholar
Tardy, C. (1985). Social support measurement. American Journal of Community Psychology, 13 (2), 187–202.Google Scholar
Terry, D.J., Nielsen, M., & Perchard, L. (1993). Effects of work stress on psychological well-being and job satisfaction: The stress-buffering role of social support. Australian Journal of Psychology, 45, 168–175.Google Scholar
Thoits, P.A. (1985). Social support and psychological well-being: Theoretical possibilities. In Sarason, I.G. & Sarason, B.R. (Eds.), Social support: Theory, research, and applications (pp. 51–72). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff.Google Scholar
Thoits, P.A. (2011). Mechanisms linking social ties and support to physical and mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 52, 145–161.Google Scholar
Uchino, B. (2009). Understanding the links between SS and physical health: A life-span perspective with emphasis on the separability of perceived and received support. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4, 236–255.Google Scholar
Volling, B.L. (2003). Sibling relationships. In Bornstein, M.H., Davidson, L., Keyes, C.L.M., Moore, K.A., & the Center for Child Well-Being (Eds.), Well-being: Positive development across the life course (pp. 383–406). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Wills, T.A., & Shinar, O. (2000). Measuring perceived and received social support. In Cohen, S., Underwood, L.G., & Gottlieb, B.H. (Eds.), Social support measurement and intervention: A guide for health and social scientists (pp. 86–135). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar